These Are The Days Worth Living
by ohskylark
Summary: "Jess, why didn't you tell me?" Nick asked desperately. How could she have not told them what was going on? How could she not have told him? Inspired by the events of "Injured." Angst, romance, fluff, and eventual Nick/Jess.
1. Appley Goodness

**These Are The Days Worth Living**

"Jess, why didn't you tell me?" Nick asked desperately. How could she have not told them what was going on? How could she not have told _him_? Inspired by the events of "Injured." Angst, romance, fluff, and eventual Nick/Jess.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own New Girl, I can only be grateful for it's existence and the qualities of the characters and acting that have inspired me to write a fanfic for the first time after 7 years of enjoying quality fan fiction written by the many other talented writers on . I also do not own the music or lyrics by The Calling in which there are lyrics included throughout this story and whose songs have inspired the title of this fic. In regards to the subject matter within the story, I aim to be as accurate as I can by researching, but I'm not a doctor or even a medical student, so please forgive me if I get any of the medical procedures and terminology wrong. Lastly, my heart goes out to everyone who has ever been affected in any way from medical situations such as these, my thoughts are with you.

**Author's note:** This is my first ever fanfic. I hope you enjoy it. It was originally inspired by the storyline of "Injured" but quickly morphed into an alternate plotline. A bit of angst and drama to follow but I've tried to remain true to the characters. Please read and review, I would love to hear your thoughts!

**Chapter 1 – Apple-y Goodness**

Jess and Nick sat in the clinically lit room, the Nurse in front of Nick frowning slightly in frustration, needle at the ready in her hand. Jess sighed, the headache she woke up with this morning was getting worse by the minute, but she needed to be patient with Nick, she couldn't blame him for being a bit freaked out, what with his potentially devastating diagnosis on the horizon.

"Hey Nick?"

"Yeah, Jess."

"It's just a needle. They only need a little bit of blood, just like, a few drops, you won't even notice it's gone, cowboy! And think of the juice you'll get after... mmmm, apple juice..." Jess smiled wistfully in anticipation wondering whether she could sneak one of those delicious apple drinks too.

Nick frowned, his turtle face in full form. "It's just... I can't explain it… needles just _freak_ me out..." He sighed and then took a slow, deep calming breath in. "You know what? You're right, I'm being ridiculous, let's do this!"

The nurse moved a fraction of an inch towards Nick with the needle before he jerked back attempting to escape through the wall.

"No! No! I can't! Nope, not happening, not today" Nick said quickly, clearly uncomfortable.

Jess smirked at him, a twinkle in her eye.

"Aw jeez, Jess, seriously, stop looking at me like that."

"Do I need to whip out my Daffy Duck impression, would that make you feel better?"

"No, Jess, that would _not_ make me feel better right now."

"Okay, then let's do it together."

"What?"

"I'll get blood taken too, I need to practice for the blood drive later this month at school anyway. Here, hold my hand." Jess smiled and grabbed his hand, squeezing tight.

"Nurse, uh, Allison?" Jess asked as she quickly glance at the blond woman's name tag, "Could I get another nurse to, you know, fill up a tube of O Neg or...you know, whatever the medical term is" Jess scrunched her nose at her attempt to be, well, doctor-ish.

Nurse Allison signaled for her colleague.

"Ah, Nurse Sarah, thank you." Jess smiled as she looked over at the approaching woman with a sparkly pink heart sticker on her nametag. Nurse Sarah proceeded to prep her arm and held up the needle.

"Right, you ready there Nick?" Jess look up with him with that smile that always made Nick's insides flutter.

"If you bring this up with Winston or Schmidt I _will_ deny it, but... don't let go of my hand, Jess."

"I'm not going anywhere."

They kept eye contact, Nick staring into the depths of Jess' blue eyes. He noticed the dark circles that in no way detracted from her beauty but caused a twinge of worry to shudder through him. _Had she not been sleeping well?_ he wondered. He was so distracted with his thoughts he didn't even realize that the bad part was already over.

"All done," Nurse Allison said placing some gauze down where the needle had just been and patting Nick gently on the arm. "Just apply a little pressure. You too, dear," she said as she motioned at Jess.

"Would you like your sample tested for the same lab results as your friend?" Nurse Sarah asked Jess.

"Sure, why not?" Jess nodded.

"No, Jess, don't, you'll have to pay for those tests" Nick replied in protest.

"We're in this together Nick! _'If I could, then, I would, I'll go wherever you will go'_"! Jess sung in a playful voice.

"Really, Jess, The Calling? At a time like this?" Nick smiled.

"Made you smile, didn't it? Now, where is the apple juice located?" Jess turned her attention to Nurse Sarah as she pointed at the little fridge in the corner of the room.

"Yes! Come on, Nick! There's some apple-y goodness awaiting us!" She stood up slightly dizzy for a second and decided that she definitely needed some juice. Nick followed, his gaze lingering a little too long as she closed her eyes indulging in her apple bliss. He thought about how she always smelled of fresh apples and cinnamon after her showers and then froze, wondering where that stray thought had come from. After a minute, she smiled up at him, her thirst satisfied and handed him a juice of his own.

He took it from her and then put her hand on the small of her back, gently leading her out of the room. "C'mon, let's get out of here, Jess."

They walked closely side by side, their footsteps in sync with one another as they moved through the long sterile hallways and out to the car.

Jess closed the car door and sighed as she leaned her head against the cool glass window, feeling a little hot and a bit tired and achy for the third week in a row. _My cold really took up camp in my body _she thought. The apple juice had helped perk her up a bit after the blood was taken, but maybe some honey and lemon tea would help when she got home. As she thought about the tests, her heart twanged a little, worry for Nick and his possible life threatening diagnosis filling her head.

"Jess?" Nick's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hmm, what?" Jess blinked.

"You okay, Jess? You spaced out there for a minute."

"Oh, yeah, I'm just tired, still feeling a bit down and out from my cold." Jess sighed.

"I thought you had that cold like, a month ago, you're still not feeling well?" Nick asked and Jess thought she could hear a concerned note behind the seemingly friendly question.

"No, I mean, yes, but I'm sure it's just because it's been really stressful at school lately, what with some of my students struggling in math and the fact that I'm always trying to avoid Paul at all costs in the hallways nowadays. I mean, who would have thought it was possible for two people to bump into each other that much?" her tone incredulous.

"Well, you do both work in the same school with the same hallways, and the same cafeteria, and the same..."

"Okay, Nick, yes, we are very much the same, I get it." Jess sighed in frustration.

"No, that's not what I meant, well, I mean there _are_ some scary similarities, but..." Jess glared and he playfully smiled.

"Oh come on, Jess, you know I'm just joking with you. Hey, listen, to be serious for a moment, I want to thank you for coming with me to the clinic today... I don't really tell this to you very often, or well, I don't think I've ever told you, but I really appreciate having you around Jess... I like having you around." Nick smiled softly.

Jess smiled brightly in return causing Nick's smile to light up in response to her happiness.

"I'm going to make you some of that honey and lemon tea you like when we get home. That should make you feel better, right?"

"You know what kind of tea I like? I didn't know you paid that much attention to my tea routine Nick" Jess said in surprise.

"It's not like I... I don't... I've just seen you make it before, that's all" Nick muttered, and looked away from her embarrassed.

Jess just stared at Nick's profile and smiled, happiness bubbling inside her chest and momentarily distracting her from her aching head.

* * *

Lots more to come soon :) Please read and review!

- ohskylark


	2. Sparkly Star Stickers

**Author's note:** Thank you so much to all who added this story to their favorites and/or story alert list. You all made me smile! Also, a big thank you and shout out to AMiserableLove for her kind words and for my first review ever! :) I hope you all continue to read and enjoy. On another note, this story has taken a bit of an angsty turn, but I hope you all stick with the serious plot line, as once a bit of drama has taken place I intend to get back to some more lighthearted dialogue. Enjoy, and please read and review!

**Chapter 2 – Sparkly Star Stickers**

A few days later, Nick sat on the couch nursing his beer and watching the highlights of the basketball game from the previous night. Jess was lounging beside him in one of what he liked to call her 'pajama outfits' with a sea of her student's latest book reports spread out all around the both of them.

Nick noticed that Jess had begun to develop a cough since their visit to the clinic a few days before, and he hoped she hadn't caught a bug there. For what seemed like the hundredth time in the last hour alone, Jess began to cough again, and his face scrunched up in concern.

"You okay, Jess? Are you getting another cold? That cough sounds pretty rough, can I grab you something to drink?" he asked, attempting to be casual and not to reveal just how worried he actually was.

"No, thank you, I'm okay," she looked up from the paper she was grading and cleared her throat, her voice scratchy. "I'm sure it's just a tickle in my throat or something. I'm going to make some lunch soon, I'll fix some tea for myself then."

Nick nodded and sipped his beer, turning his attention back to the TV.

Jess went back to grading, tapping her bright pink highlighter against the page while she concentrated. A few minutes later, she finished, flipping the report back over to the title page. _This one was well written, _she thought, _it deserves a star_. She leaned forward and reached over Nick's lap to grab her sparkly star stickers and he shifted uncomfortably. He was suddenly acutely aware of how close she was to him and other certain various body parts. _Stop that Nick_, he scolded himself internally, _you cannot have those thoughts about your roommate! _He cleared his throat awkwardly and Jess glanced up at him.

"What's up, Nick? Are you worried about the test results?"

"No, I mean, they'll call when they call, right? They said it could be a few days if the lab was busy," he fumbled to make normal conversation after the somewhat dirty thoughts that had entered his mind just seconds before.

"I'm sure they'll call soon, don't worry, Nick, everything is going to be fine" she said while nervously biting her lip.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right Jess..." Nick trailed off, his face showing none of the nonchalance he was attempting to project.

"Hey, I'm here for you" Jess put her hand on his arm gently, their eyes meeting.

They were both quiet for a moment, silently staring into each other's eyes and enjoying each other's presence. Just as Nick was about to say something, his cell phone rang, interrupting the moment. They both jumped and she moved away from him as he reached for his phone.

"Hello? Yes, this is Nick Miller. Yes, Nurse Allison, hi..."

Jess tried to casually listen in, just as her phone started ringing too. She grabbed her phone, jumped up, and walked over towards her room, giving Nick some space. Glancing at the number, she didn't recognize it.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Yes, Hello, is this Miss Jessica Day?" the gentle voice said on the line.

"Yes, this is she."

"Hello Miss Day, this is Nurse Sarah from the Oceanfront Medical Clinic. The tests that we ran on your blood sample came back and the doctor would like to make an appointment with you to discuss the results. Would you be available to come into the clinic today?"

"Today? That's a quick appointment turn around if I've ever heard of one," Jess joked. "Is there something wrong?"

There was a pause before Nurse Sarah answered, "The doctor would like to speak to you about the results as soon as possible."

Jess frowned. "Okay, yes, what time today?"

"Does 2 pm work with your schedule?" the Nurse asked.

"Yes, thank you, I'll see you then." Jess hung up and turned to see Nick ending his call.

"Nick?" she asked anxiously.

"I'm all good, Jess! The results are negative, my blood wasn't positive for any irregularities, and the ultrasound I did the other day came back negative. No cancer for me! I'm young and free and aliveeee! Woooo!"

"Oh, that's such a relief Nick!" Jess ran to him and pulled him into a hug, lingering perhaps just a little too long. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Thanks, Jess," he said enthusiastically, a big smile lighting up his face. "Hey, let's go out and celebrate! Lunch is on me."

"Oh, thanks but I actually have to go into school," she lied quickly, hoping he wouldn't catch on.

"What? Jess, it's Saturday, you don't need to work on Saturdays."

"I… well, I…" Jess stumbled, trying to think of a believable white lie on the spot, not wanting to tell Nick what was going on with her blood test results until she knew herself. "I, um… I forgot a few of my student's papers on my desk and I have to mark them this weekend so I need to go pick them up."

"Oh, okay, well, let me drive you and then we can grab lunch after," he turned to grab his favorite red sweatshirt and keys.

"No, Nick, really, it's okay, I'll just grab the bus and I'm not really hungry anymore. I'll be back in an hour, okay?"

"Jess..."

Before he could say anymore and she admitted to him where she was actually going, she ran in to her room and shut the door.

Jess quickly changed her clothes and cracked open her door slowly, peeking out to see if Nick was in sight.

She heard the sound of the fridge door opening and the clinking of beer bottles in the kitchen and she quickly made her escape, running out the door before Nick could ask her any more questions.

As she waited for the elevator, she began coughing again, and she suddenly felt a pain deep in her chest. _Ouch. Oh great_, she thought sarcastically, _I really am getting another cold. Can't a girl catch a break?_

- Oceanfront Medical Clinic -

Jess approached the familiar faces at the reception desk.

"Hi, Nurse Sarah, I'm Jessica Day, we spoke on the phone earlier."

"Oh yes, hello, Miss Day. Please, follow me and I will get you settled in Dr. Alexander's office. He will be in to see you in a moment."

She sat in the office in front of the doctor's desk, nervously flattening her bright yellow skirt over her knees, attempting to smooth out a small wrinkle she had clearly missed during her ironing session a few days before, and trying to distract herself from the worry that had begun to fill her mind. A nervous sensation began to rise up in the pit of Jess' stomach. _What's wrong with me? _she thought.

The doctor entered, and she stood up so fast she almost tripped over her own feet. The doctor reached out to steady her, then extended his arm out to shake her hand.

"Hello Miss Day, I'm Dr. Alexander. Please, have a seat."

Dr. Alexander sat down, set a file onto his desk, and folded his hands together in front of him.

"I'm going to get straight to the point. Your test results came back and showed an abnormally high level of lactate dehydrogenase in your blood. How have you been feeling lately? Any fever, achy muscles, dizziness? Have you noticed a decrease in your energy levels?

"Um, yes, sir, uh, doctor, a little bit of all that. I've also seemed to have developed this cough, I think I might be getting another cold."

"How long have you been feeling this way?"

"Um, the cough is more recent but the other stuff started about a month ago. I remember because it was a few days after Nick and I had dinner with our landlord, Remy who..." Jess stopped her nervous ramblings before they got out of hand. "Sorry, I guess that's not really important right now."

"Look, I'm going to be honest with you. The level of lactic acid in your blood is unusually high which means that there is likely some tissue damage of some kind. This could be a result of something like anemia, but with all of your other symptoms I think we need some more information. I'd like to refer you to Dr. Natalie Lynn, she is a good friend of mine and one of the best oncologists in the city. I've already given her a call and she's set aside some time tomorrow morning at 10 am to examine you and run a few tests for a complete diagnosis. I know that it is short notice, but I would advise that you bring someone with you to the appointment to drive you home."

"Wait, an oncologist? Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Jess asked in disbelief. "Do I have cancer?"

The doctor looked at Jess, noting the tears beginning to well up in Jess' wide blue eyes. He sighed, informing his patients of bad news really was the worst part of his job.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I'll pass on this information to Dr. Lynn and I will let her know that you will be attending your appointment tomorrow morning."

He looked at Jess, who had a slightly glazed look in her eye.

"Miss Day," Jess looked up and met his gaze. "Try not to worry, get some rest tonight and we will know more in the morning."

* * *

So, a little bit of a cliffhanger to keep up the suspense. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter; another one will follow soon! Please read and review :)

- ohskylark


	3. Locked Doors

**Chapter 3 – Locked Doors**

Jess didn't know how she ended up at the ocean. She had left the clinic in a daze and had just started walking, her body and mind completely numb. The next thing she knew, she was staring out at the expanse of water and sky, both so blue that you could barely tell where one stopped and the other one started. She flopped down on to the sand, lying down on her back and she immediately thought of their trip to the ocean a week ago. _Was it only a week ago? _she thought in disbelief. _How could so much have changed in such a short amount of time?_

She closed her eyes and remembered how Nick had made angels in the sand after diving into the freezing water, his mind foggy from his pain pills, _"Jess, I like you a lot, I really do, I'm glad you're around," _he had said. She closed her eyes, a few tears spilling down her cheeks. She knew he wouldn't remember what he had said that night, but deep down she had hoped that he might. But he hadn't remembered. The pain pills made sure of that.

She lay there for hours, mentally and physically drained. She knew she should go home but the thought of trying to act normally around the guys was not something she had the strength for. _Maybe I should just tell them_, she thought. She tried to think of how that conversation would go down. '_Hey guys, so, I know that we're all so relieved that Nick doesn't have cancer, but hey, surprise, I might have it instead?' No, that wouldn't work_, she thought. _How do you even start talking about something so awful, so depressing, so life changing?_

She was finally pulled out of her thoughts by her cell phone buzzing in her purse for what seemed like the twelfth time. Without bothering to check who was calling, she groaned out loud and opened her eyes, surprised to see that the sun had started to set. _How long have I been here? _She rolled over onto her side and then sat up slowly, wincing as her whole body ached.

She pulled herself up and paused as she swayed, waiting for her vision to clear from the black veil that had flashed before her eyes at the sudden change in elevation. _It's going to be a long walk home._

- The Loft -

Nick glanced at the clock on the wall for the 500th time. Where was Jess? He had called her phone repeatedly, leaving her a dozen worried messages that she hadn't replied to. She said she'd be an hour tops and it had been over four. His thoughts took a dark turn as he fretted over her wellbeing. Did she get lost? Is she hurt? Worst-case scenarios flooded through his mind. He was about to grab his car keys, intent on searching the whole city for her if he had to, when suddenly Jess walked in the door.

He jumped off the couch and moved towards her. "Jess! Where have you _been_? Did the bus break down or something? Wait, why are you covered in _sand_?"

Jess looked up a Nick and blinked.

"What?" Jess's voice was quiet and confused.

Nick sighed in exasperation.

"You've been gone for over four hours Jess, I've called you like a hundred times! What have you been doing? Did you get those papers you were going to pick up from the school?"

"Oh... turns out I didn't leave them on my desk after all… Um… I'm really tired. I'm going to go bed." Jess said as she walked towards her room.

"It's only 6:30 Jess."

"Yeah, I know, I just… I feel a nap coming on," Jess mumbled, knowing it was a lame excuse, and leaving Nick confused and frustrated, standing alone in the hallway.

As Jess closed the door, a deep cough rumbled through her chest. Nick winced, _that sounds like it hurts,_ he thought. She literally had just gotten over a cold and now she has another one? _Jeez_, he thought, _Jess can't catch a break_ as he frowned in sympathy.

When Schmidt and Winston came through the door a half hour later, Nick was still sitting on the couch thinking about how odd Jess had been acting all day.

"Hey Nick, what's up man?" Winston asked Nick who seemed a little down.

"Hey Hey, brotha' from another motha'! Where's Jess? Aren't you two usually cuddling up on the sofa together around this time?" Schmidt asked in his usual enthusiastic tone.

Nick was silent.

"What? No arguments from you Nick? Oh my god, Nick! Did you find out your test results? Are you okay? Oh my god, you're dying aren't you? Man, I want you to know that if I could, I would take your place in a heartbeat. Do you need something? Anything you need man, just call on Schmitty…"

"Oh my god, Schmidt, stop rambling, I'm fine, I got the test results back, everything is all good."

Winston and Schmidt's faces lit up as they cheered and tackled Nick with hugs.

"Alright, that's enough, off of me, both of you."

"So what's wrong then, Nick? And where is Jess? Shouldn't we all be celebrating your clean bill of health? Wait, Nick, did you finally tell her how you feel? Is that why she isn't here? Oh no, does she not feel the same? Is she going to move out?"

"No! Schmidt, stop it, you don't know what you're talking about! And stop talking so loud!"

"If it's not true, then why do I have to keep quiet about it?"

"Jess is in her room, she said she wanted to take a nap."

Winston looked horrified. "A nap? What are we people, 80 years old? It's only 7 'o clock! The night is _young_! Wake her up and let's go out and celebrate."

"Listen guys, Jess was acting really weird today."

"Jess? Weird? Um, have you met her?" asked Winston sarcastically as if Nick was missing out on something obvious.

"You know what I mean Winston, not just her usual quirky self but just…strange, upset maybe? I don't know, she seems like she's getting sick again, maybe it's that?"

"Or maybe it's that time of the month, women can get pretty catty if you know what I mean," Schmidt said with a wink.

Nick scowled. "Jar!"

- Jess' Bedroom -

Jess lay in bed staring at the ceiling and listening to The Calling playing softly in her room.

_So lately, been wonderin', who will be there to take my place._

_When I'm gone, you'll need love, to light the shadows on your face…_

Jess sighed, Nick's face filling her mind as she listened to the lyrics. _Oh my god, I probably have cancer. I might die_. _Nick is going to grow old with someone else and not me_. She shook her head, _you're being ridiculous Jess_, she thought, _you and Nick aren't even together and there's no way that's going to happen now, not if you're sick. _

"Oh my god" she whispered putting her hands over her face in despair. "This can't be happening." _How did my life begin to fall apart so quickly?_

"Jess?" Nick softly called as he lightly knocked on her door. "Are you okay?"

Jess was quiet, pretending to be asleep. She couldn't bring herself to talk about the events of the day with anyone, let alone Nick, and after all, she _had_ said she was going to take a nap.

"Jess? Are you asleep?"

She heard him try to turn the doorknob. When she had come into her room, she had reluctantly locked her door. She knew her roommates would find it weird if they found out, none of them ever locked their doors, which was clearly demonstrated by the whole naked incident… well, incidents. A small smirk formed on Jess' face and she blushed; thinking about Nick inappropriately when he was standing outside her door wasn't a good idea.

"Jess, you locked your door? Listen, if you're awake, could you at least let me know you're okay? Winston and Schmidt are going to go to the bar with me. After my shift we're going to celebrate everyone's good health. Cece will be there too. It would be really nice if you joined us."

A tear slid down Jess' face. The irony of the situation was just too much to bear. Was this some cosmic joke? Should she tell him everything? Maybe if she talked to someone she would feel a little less awful. But then she thought if Nick knew what was going on, he would feel terrible at what he had just said. _No, I won't answer him_, she thought, _he should celebrate_, _he did have quite a scare_. She closed her eyes and started to drift into sleep, exhausted. _Maybe I do need a nap after all,_ she thought as she slipped into unconsciousness.

- Nick's POV -

Nick didn't know what to do.

Jess never locks her door. None of them do, it's a trust thing. _Why would she lock her door? Is she avoiding me? Did I say or do something to upset her?_

"Jess, you locked your door? Listen, if you're awake, could you at least let me know you're okay? Winston and Schmidt are going to go to the bar with me. After my shift we're going to celebrate everyone's good health. Cece will be there too. It would be really nice if you joined us."

He was met with nothing but silence. He had a bad feeling in his gut but decided to let it go. If Jess was asleep then it made sense she wasn't answering. He reluctantly stepped back from the door, trying to think of what could have possibly happened to cause her to act so un-Jess-like.

* * *

Thank you to all who have reviewed and are following this story. It is so motivating and exciting for me to know that you're looking forward to reading it. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! It's become a bit a busy time for me at the moment, but I'm hoping to update in a few days or so. In the meantime, please read and review :)

- ohskylark


	4. A Sea of Tissues

**Author's note: **

Hi everyone! My sincere apologies for the delay in updating, this week was full of obligations that needed to get done before I could indulge in the New Girl universe, but this chapter is a bit longer than the others have been so far, so I hope that makes up for it a bit ;) Okay, so a few notes: I know that in the timeline of the season, the relationships between Cece and Schmidt, and Winston and Shelby, are fairly recent developments around the time when "Injured" aired, but I started writing some dialogue for the couples and it was too much fun to pass up, so I've decided that in this story they're all already together and everyone knows! Alright, what else, let's see… Jess shares her medical crisis with someone in this chapter; read on to find out who it is! And lastly as always, a disclaimer: as much as I wish I owned New Girl, so that I could hang out with Zooey and the gang, I don't. But thank you Fox and Liz Meriwether for bringing "adorkable" Jess into our lives!

**Chapter 4 – A Sea of Tissues**

It was after Nick's shift and they were all huddled into a booth at the bar; Schmidt and Cece, Winston and Shelby, and Nick, on his own.

Cece was texting Jess for what seemed like the one-hundredth time that day, annoyed and concerned that her best friend in the whole world had gone M.I.A. _This isn't like her, _she thought.

She looked up as Schmidt cleared his throat. A big grin spread on Schmidt's face as he looked towards Nick.

"Everyone, can I have your attention! Today, we found out some wickedly good news. Nick is as healthy as a horse! Yes, that's right, he's young and fly and feeling mighty fine. _Ladies_!" he yelled, raising his voice, catching the attention of three girls sitting near their booth, "This here is Nick Miller" he said, pointing to Nick, "would any of you like to take a ride on his saddle, if you know what I mean?" Schmidt winked at the girls who looked back at him, clearly offended.

"Sorry about this guy, don't listen to anything he says," Nick frowned, apologizing to the girls for Schmidt's comment.

"Ugh, Schmidt, did you seriously just make a sexual joke about horses?" Nick frowned in disgust, "Dude, when we get home, $20 dollars in the douchebag jar, that's disgusting, man!"

"Yeah, I have to agree with Nick on this one Schmidt. That was gross, even for you," Cece shook her head, looking thoroughly unamused.

Schmidt waved them off, his smile still lighting up his face as he raised his glass in the air.

"A toast everyone! To Nick, one of the best bro's out of all of my bro's!" yelled Schmidt.

"For the last time Schmidt, 'bro's' is not a thing!" Nick said, sounding exasperated while at the same time smirking at Schmidt's unquenched enthusiasm.

"I'll toast to that, and to newfound love!" added Winston smiling at Shelby, squeezing her gently towards him with his arm around her waist.

"Aw, what the hell," Nick said, giving in and smiling, "To growing old and loving every minute of it!" Nick said sincerely, beyond thrilled that he didn't have a life threatening disease.

"Cheers!" they all yelled, clinking their glasses of beer, wine, and vodka soda together before each taking a sip of their preferred drinks.

Cece glanced down at her phone again, and frowned. "Seriously guys, why isn't Jess here?"

Cece turned and looked at Nick, knowing that he was either the cause of Jess being upset, likely due to some argument stemming from their mutual attraction that they both insisted in denying, or that at least Nick would likely know what was bothering her, as Jess and Nick told each other a lot more than they did to their other roommates. "Did you guys do something to upset her?"

Nick frowned, "why are you looking at me?" he asked Cece, annoyed that she had singled him out. _She's way too observant_, he thought, "I haven't done anything to Jess," he said defensively.

_Yes, that's the problem, isn't it,_ Cece thought, _can't you two just jump each other already? The amount of sexual tension between the two of you is so monumental it's even making me horny. _She stopped her train of thought before she voiced the opinions swirling in her head out loud.

"Well, if you guys didn't do anything, then why didn't she come out tonight, and why won't she answer her phone, I've been trying to call her all day," Cece asked, frustration and concern in her voice. "I'm really starting to get worried. Maybe I should go to the loft and check on her."

Schmidt put his arm around her, resting it on the edge of the booth. "I'm sure she's fine Cece, like I said before, it's probably just that time of the month and she needs a little space."

Cece rolled her eyes. "Schmidt, first of all, when girls are on their period, they need comfort, which Jess clearly does not have right now if she's all alone in the loft, but I know that's not the reason she's upset, because our cycles are in sync and I thankfully am not currently experiencing mother nature's monthly gift." Cece said as she dialed Jess' number again.

"Ugh, _way_ too much information Cece!" Nick groaned, rubbing his hands over his face as Winston scrunched up his nose, clearly offended by Cece's words.

Shelby laughed at both Winston and Nick's discomfort at the turn in the conversation.

Cece hung up in frustration when she heard the recording of Jess' cheery voice asking her to leave a message at the sound of the beep. She grabbed her clutch, and scooted out of the booth. "That's it, she's still not picking up or responding to any of my texts. I'm going over there."

"Do you want me to come with you, Cece?" Schmidt asked conflicted, not sure whether he should leave them to their girl time or to go with her and make sure she got home safe.

Cece picked up on Schmidt's uncertainty and something fluttered in her stomach, as she was simultaneously pleased yet nervous at their blossoming relationship. "No it's okay, we drove here separately. I'll just swing by and see what's going on. See you later though?" she asked with a coy smile.

"Never can get enough of Schmitty, can you Cecelia! You got it, baby!" Schmidt replied a bit too excitedly.

"Don't call me baby, Schmidt!" Cece yelled as she smirked and walked away.

- The Loft -

Cece let herself into the loft with the spare key Jess had given her the day she had moved in with three strangers she had met on the Internet. Thinking back, Cece can't believe it had all worked out so well. When Jess had first told her of her plans to move in with three guys she didn't know, Cece insisted that she have a key for emergencies or in case she needed to come and kick their asses for being complete jerks. When she walked into the living room, she heard what sounded like a painful coughing fit coming from Jess' room and she immediately knew something was up.

"Jess?" Cece called out as she knocked on Jess' door.

Jess lay in her bed, her eyes closed and her hand on her chest as the pain from her coughing fit faded.

"Jess? Babe, are you sick?"

Jess was quiet as she began to panic at Cece's presence in the loft. She didn't feel ready to talk. She wasn't ready.

Cece continued. "Seriously, Jess, I'm really worried, can you please open the door? You haven't answered any of my calls or texts tonight. This isn't like you. Did something happen with Paul? Or Spencer? I thought you were okay with it being over with the both of them."

Jess rolled over and looked at her phone. She had heard it ringing and buzzing all night but didn't have the energy to move and see who was calling. She had assumed it was Nick and as she scrolled through the list of missed calls and texts, the fact that he _hadn't_ called her left her feeling oddly disappointed.

_What did you expect Jess?_ she asked herself. You didn't answer him when he tried to talk to you earlier and now he probably thinks you're mad at him.

"Ugh, great. Another thing I have to deal with" she muttered.

"Okay, seriously, Jess, if you don't open this door, I'm going to break it down. Last chance."

Jess groaned. She could do this. She could tell Cece. She glanced in her mirror on her bedside table and groaned. She looked terrible, the paleness of her skin deeply contrasting with mascara running all over her face and dark circles under her eyes. Oh well, now that she had probably had cancer, it wasn't going to matter what she looked like anymore, _no one is ever going to find me attractive ever again,_ she thought.

"Okay, I'm coming in!" Cece said.

Just as Cece was about to attempt to break the door down, she heard the lock turn and Jess slowly opened the door.

Cece took one look at Jess' face and gasped.

"Oh my god, babe, what happened?" she asked, pulling Jess into her arms for a hug.

Jess started to cry. A few tears at first that quickly turned into gut wrenching sobs. As she started to droop to the floor, Cece lowered them both to the ground keeping Jess in her arms and rocking her back in forth. After a minute, Jess was finding it hard to breathe. Her chest hurt and she was gasping for air.

"Shh sweetie, it's okay, everything's going to be okay, just take some deep breaths, you need to calm down babe, c'mon deep breaths, in and out," Cece whispered with her forehead resting on Jess', shocked at the level of anguish on Jess' face. Cece had never seen her like this. Ever.

About 10 minutes passed as Jess sobbed, struggling to catch her breath, and Cece murmuring words of comfort, before Jess' tears began to slow, and she moved her head to rest on Cece's shoulder, completely exhausted.

"Jess, sweetie. _Please,_ talk to me. Let me help you." Cece begged.

"You can't help me." Jess croaked, her voice raw and scratchy from her sobs.

"What do you mean? I'm your best friend. Of course I can."

Jess leaned back from Cece's embrace and shook her head, looking down at her hands in her lap.

"Well, at least let me try," Cece pleaded.

Jess hesitated, wondering if she should just keep it all a secret, just make Cece leave and pretend like her sobbing fit never happened. Pushing people out of her life at a time like this was a bad idea and a method of social conduct she had never succumbed to before. _Should I do it anyway?_ she thought. _Should I tell Cece to get out? I could pack up all my stuff, move out of the apartment, and just walk away from my life here._ _I don't want to burden any of my friends with this, but can I really face this alone?_

Jess sighed, a million thoughts running through her head.

"Jess?" Cece prompted her again for information and the intense concern she heard in Cece's voice made the decision for her.

She took a deep breath. "Can you drive me to the hospital tomorrow?" Jess asked Cece quietly.

"The _hospital_? Jess, what is going on?" Cece pleaded, distress evident in her hushed voice.

"I went with Nick the other day to the clinic and he was scared of the needle…" She paused and frowned. "He asked me not to say anything…" Jess drifted off.

"Jess, I won't tell anyone, but you need to tell me what's happening with you, right now," Cece said in a tone that implied that she would not take no for an answer.

Jess took a deep breath. This was it.

"Nick was scared, so I got blood taken too at the same time, for moral support, you know? Anyway, they… well, they ran my blood for the same tests that Nick's was under review for…"

Cece's heart stopped. They had been checking Nick for cancer. Oh my god, no. This wasn't happening. This _couldn't_ be happening.

"Jess?" Cece whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. "What are you saying?"

Jess began pulling with a stray piece of yarn from her multicolored rug they were sitting on, avoiding eye contact with Cece.

"The doctor I spoke to this morning thinks I might have cancer. I need to go the hospital tomorrow for some more tests to be officially diagnosed. Would you be able to come with me? I don't want to burden you but I just thought that I'd ask… I don't know if I can do this by myself and… and they told me not to go alone," Jess stumbled to finish before she lost her nerve to ask.

After a moment of silence, Jess looked up at Cece.

Cece was frozen, tears streaming down her face.

Jess hadn't seen Cece cry since her Dad had passed away… of cancer… _oh my god, I'm such an idiot,_ thought Jess, _Cece is the last person I should have confided in about this. _She looked at Cece in a panic, guilt ripping through her at having upset her so deeply by bringing back all her memories of her dad before he died.

Jess put her face in her hands, her voice muffled as she spoke. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, Cece, please don't cry, I didn't mean to upset you. Just, hey, you know what? I take it back, pretend you never heard that, you don't have to come with me, just please, please, please, promise me you won't tell Schmidt or Winston or Nick, _especially_ not Nick. _Please_."

Cece shook her head and pulled Jess into her arms.

"Stop it. I'm not going anywhere, so don't you dare try to push me away. I'm here for you. I'd do anything for you Jess, you know that right?"

Jess closed her eyes, and nodded slowly, and while she still felt guilty, relief flooded through her knowing that she wasn't going to have to face all of this on her own.

"Sweetie, you're going to have to tell the guys though, they're going to find out eventually. Don't you think it's just better if you tell them straight out?"

"Not yet, Cece, please. I just… I need to find out exactly what's going on and I need to figure out what my plan is and then, maybe, I will tell them."

Cece nodded, tears streaming down her face. "Oh Jess…" she cried, launching herself at Jess and pulling her into a hug.

After another good cry in which both Cece and Jess took part, they fell asleep on the floor next to each other. When the boys all came back to the apartment at 3 am after dropping Shelby home, they found Cece and Jess sleeping side by side in a sea of crumpled up tissues, completely surrounding them on the floor.

"Girls…" Winston muttered shaking his head.

They all looked at each other.

"Do you think we should leave them like that or wake them up?" Schmidt asked with uncertainty.

Nick stared at Jess' pale face, stained with mascara and his heart ached, wanting nothing more than to pull her into his arms and fix whatever she was upset about. Instead he moved towards his room.

"Let's not disturb them, we'll find out what's going on in the morning. Good night, guys," he said as he slipped in to his room. Nick glanced one more time at Jess' face before he slowly shut his door.

- The next morning -

Jess woke up to the sound and aroma of eggs cooking. _Eggs? No one makes eggs in this apartment except for her, _she thought confused. Jess turned over and caught sight of Cece sleeping soundly beside her.

She pulled herself up, her chest achy and feeling dizzy and she was immediately reminded of why she was sleeping on the floor in the first place.

"Why couldn't this have just been a bad dream?" she groaned as she tried to steady herself, her hand clutching her chest as she began to cough again.

She surveyed the blanket of tissues covering her floor and was contemplating on whether or not to wake up Cece, when she heard a quiet knock on her door.

"Jess?"

She looked up and saw Nick standing there with a tray of eggs, orange juice, toast, and jam.

"Nick, you cooked?" Jess asked confused.

"Uh, yeah, I did. It's for you… sunny side up, the way you like it, right?" Nick said hesitantly, as he kneeled down and placed the tray on to the floor beside her.

"Listen, Jess, you don't need to tell me what's upsetting you if you don't want to, and I'm glad that you and Cece have talked, but… you'd tell me if it was me that upset you, right? Because if I did something to upset you, you've gotta let me know so that I can make it right." Nick pleaded.

Jess blinked.

"No! Nick, no, I'm not upset with you! You haven't done anything wrong."

Nick could tell Jess was being sincere and some of the tension left his face.

"Are you okay, Jess?" The genuine concern in his voice almost made her spill everything to him.

Jess gave him a weak smile. "Yeah… can you give me and Cece a minute? I'm going to wake her up and she's not really a morning person."

"Yeah of course, Jess."

As Nick turned to leave, Jess called out.

"Hey Nick?"

"Yeah, Jess?"

"Thank you for breakfast." The tone of her voice so sincere, it nearly made Nick's heart break.

"Anytime Jess," he said, a worried smile on his face, hoping the sincerity in his voice matched hers. He turned and left the room, giving the girls some privacy.

Jess watched until Nick was out of sight and then turned and looked down at Cece who was frowning in her sleep, her dreams clearly troubled. Guilt ripped through Jess' chest.

"Cece?" Jess called as she lightly touched her arm.

"Hmm… what?" Cece asked sleepily.

"You need to get up and we need to get ready, I have to get to the hospital for my appointment."

Cece's eyes snapped open and she sat up quickly.

"Oh god, Jess. Oh god, this is actually happening. For a moment I thought it had all been a really terrible dream."

"I wish it was, Cece. Look, I totally understand if you don't want to stick around today, I mean, last night I was crying and completely emotional and I just want you to know that you don't have to do this, I don't want to put this pressure on you and I know that this is probably dragging up a lot of bad memories for you right now, and I feel absolutely terrible about that so…"

Cece interrupted Jess' ramblings before she could go any further. "Jess! Stop, I'm going with you. You can't get rid of me that easily, okay?"

Deep down Jess knew that Cece wouldn't back out on her promise but she was still so relieved when Cece confirmed that she wouldn't be alone today.

"Do you want some eggs? Nick made them, it was so sweet of him to do that and I couldn't exactly tell him that I wasn't supposed to eat before all of my tests at the hospital today and if they're not eaten, Nick will know something's up."

"Yeah, okay, Jess, I'll have some, do you want me to get you some water though?"

"No, don't worry, I'm going to go to the bathroom and freshen up, I just really need to wash my face."

Jess stood up and walked into the bathroom. Nick was standing there brushing his teeth and their eyes met in the mirror.

Jess approached the sink and splashed water on her face before patting it dry with a towel.

"You want to catch a movie today, Jess? Get out of the apartment for a bit?" Nick asked.

"Sorry, Nick, I can't. I, uh, I promised Cece we would go shopping, you know have a girl's day out with some retail therapy."

"Oh okay, no worries, some other time."

"Yeah, another time." Jess said, her thoughts immediately turning dark and wondering how much time she actually had left. _When had this happened?_ she thought, _when did I become such a Grinch?_

* * *

Phew! That was a tough chapter to write but I hope you all enjoyed it. Another chapter to follow shortly! In the meantime, please read and review! I love hearing all of your comments and it inspires me to keep writing, so thank you!

- ohskylark


	5. Piles of Paperwork

**Chapter 5 – Piles of Paperwork**

Disclaimer: I don't own New Girl, but will be forever grateful for it's existence.

A/N: Please read and review!

* * *

The drive to the hospital was quiet. Too quiet. Cece shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she and Jess sat in her car, waiting at the red light.

"Do you want to turn on some music, Jess?" Cece asked hesitantly.

Jess continued to avoid eye contact as she stared out the front window and shook her head, refusing the distraction.

Cece frowned. "Okay, well… do you want to talk?"

Jess turned her head away from Cece to look out the passenger window of the car and Cece could see tear that ran down Jess' cheek in the reflection.

"Okay, it's alright, we don't have to talk," Cece tried to comfort her, walking on eggshells and not quite knowing what to do or say to comfort her best friend for the first time since she had ever met Jess.

Jess was really trying to keep it together, holding back the sob that seemed to rise in her throat. She didn't know what to say. Silence seemed to be the only thing that was appropriate in a situation like this. _Just stay calm, Jess, stay calm,_ _you don't know for sure that this is bad news, it's just a few tests, _she thought, the mantra running through her head until Cece pulled into a parking spot at the hospital.

Jess checked in, filling out a pile of paperwork the receptionist had given to her when she announced her arrival. After scribbling away for a good 10 minutes and finally signing the last form, Jess sighed loudly and tossed the paperwork on the side table beside them in the waiting room. She coughed roughly and both she and Cece winced at the sound. Cece leaned forward and took Jess' hand in her own.

Jess hadn't said a word to Cece since they left the apartment that morning and Cece was starting to worry Jess was retreating into herself, and that thought alone was scaring her half to death. She needed to know that Jess knew that she would be there for her, no matter what happened in the next few hours.

"Jess, look at me," Cece's tone of voice, gentle and determined.

Jess reluctantly raised her head up to look at Cece, her big blue eyes anxious and watery.

"No matter what Jess, we'll figure something out. If worst comes to worst, we _will_ fight this, okay? I love you so much babe, you have no idea." Cece squeezed her hand a little tighter as she spoke, as if she could physically hold Jess beside her forever.

"Jessica Day?"

Jess and Cece stood up. Jess stepped forward towards the doctor and cleared her throat, "Yes, that's me and this is my best friend Cece Meyers."

The doctor approached and shook both Jess and Cece's hand, "Hello Miss Day, Miss Meyers, I'm Dr. Lynn. Please, follow me."

Jess grabbed the paperwork from the side table and they followed Dr. Lynn into an exam room where Cece took Jess' jacket and purse and sat in the chair. Jess sat on the bed, her ankles crossed and twiddling her fingers nervously as the doctor placed her file and paperwork onto the desk.

"So, Miss Day, I spoke with Dr. Alexander on the phone and he mentioned that you haven't been feeling very well lately. Could you tell me what your symptoms are?"

"Um, I've been feeling tired, a bit achy and dizzy and a I've had a fever on and off for the last month or so."

"Is there a particular area that the pain is concentrated?

"Um, yes, in my chest and my throat, and… well, I've been having a lot of headaches recently."

The doctor nodded, scribbling down some notes in her file. "Alright, let's take a look."

Dr. Lynn put on some latex gloves and asked Jess to lie down on the bed.

She placed her stethoscope on Jess' chest and positioned the ear buds in her ears.

"Okay, Miss Day, take a deep breath in and out for me."

The doctor listened and could here some fluid buildup as her chest rattled.

"Okay, now can you give me a cough?"

Jess forced herself to cough, and pain shot through her chest.

"Ouch, that hurts" Jess moaned quietly.

"Okay, sit up for me please."

Jess slowly sat up and Dr. Lynn moved her hands up to Jess' neck, gently pressing on her glands in circular motions, before stepping back and scribbling a few notes in her file.

Dr. Lynn looked up at Jess. "It seems that you have some enlarged lymph nodes on either side of your neck as well as some fluid buildup in your chest. We need to run a few tests to get a bit more information in order to establish what is going on. First, I'd like to do a fine needle aspiration biopsy on the lymph nodes in your neck. Basically, what that means is that I would take a couple of cell samples from using a needle. It won't take long and it would be best if we could do it now, the sooner we can get some information the better."

Jess glanced at Cece and swallowed nervously. Cece was terrified but tried her very best not to let it show on her face as she forced a smile at Jess and nodded encouragingly.

Jess looked back to Dr. Lynn. "Yes, okay. Let's get it over with."

Dr. Lynn removed her gloves. "I'll send Christine in to get you prepped."

A moment later, Nurse Christine entered, handing a hospital gown to Jess.

"I'll give you a moment to change and then Dr. Lynn will be back to take the cell sample." Christine smiled at Jess in an attempt to put her at ease. Jess tried her best to smile back but she had a sneaking suspicion that it looked more like a grimace than a smile.

Cece helped Jess slip the robe on, gently moving her hair to one side and tying a bow on the back to hold it together.

"I hate these things," muttered Jess. You'd think they could make them in a pretty pattern or a bright color with a few ribbons. There's just so… so sterile!"

Cece walked back in front of Jess and brushed her fingers tenderly through her bangs, cracking a smile.

"You're totally right, babe, next time we'll bring a bow to stick on, 'kay?"

Jess giggled and Cece's heart panged. She hadn't heard Jess giggle in a while. She made a mental note to try to make it happen again very soon.

There was a knock at the door and a moment later Dr. Lynn entered.

"Okay, Miss Day, are you ready?"

Jess nodded.

"Alright, lie down on your back for me and try to relax."

Jess grasped Cece's hand and Cece squeezed back. Dr. Lynn approached with the needle and Jess closed her eyes.

"Just a little pinch now," Dr. Lynn warned before she pushed the needle gently into Jess's lymph node.

Jess whimpered and clutched Cece's hand tighter, her eyes scrunched at the discomfort until finally the pinching stopped. Jess body relaxed and she slowly opened her eyes.

"All done, Miss Day. I'm going to send this sample to the lab on a rush service. Why don't you change back into your clothes and have a seat in the waiting room. We should know more in about an hour and I will send Christine to bring you to my office once we get the results in."

Jess nodded and Dr. Lynn left the room. Cece handed Jess her clothes and helped her out of the gown. They walked together to the waiting room, sitting in two empty seats beside the stack of magazines.

Jess grabbed one of the magazines from the top of the pile and started flipping through it before she stopped on a picture of Cece, looking stunningly gorgeous as always and leaning back against a guy who was way too good looking to possibly exist in reality. _I mean, seriously_, Jess thought, _is he chiseled out of stone?_

"Well, well, well, look who it is," Jess said in a teasing voice.

"Oh my god, I didn't think they would choose _that_ pose," laughed Cece.

"He is hot, hot, hot," Jess teased Cece, a small smile on her face.

"Yes, he is," Cece agreed laughing, "but I bet you would pick Nick Miller over that guy any day, right Jess?" she said, attempting to break the ice and start a conversation about the subject of Jess' roommate whom Cece had no doubt that Jess was completely in love with.

"I'm going to stop you right there, Cece, we are not going to talk about Nick right now," Jess spoke in a defensive tone, a frown replacing the smile that had lit up her face a moment before.

"Why not? We have the time and Nick isn't here. Seriously, Jess, just admit that you love him. I'm your best friend, I know you, and you are seriously head over heels, babe."

"No, I'm not! And even if I was, there is no possible way it would ever work out."

"Why not? You two were made for each other. You're both serial monogamists, you complement each other personalities perfectly, there's this passion in the way you two look into each other's eyes that literally makes me horny, his feet have always and will always point to you, Jess, _and_ if all that isn't enough, he also makes you smile in a way that I have _never _seen you smile before."

"Okay, so what if I do like him? I can't do anything about it. What if we start something and then realize it was a mistake. I _can't_ lose him as a friend Cece and I certainly wouldn't want to have to move out of the loft. And besides, who knows what's going to happen today, if I have… if I'm… sick, then… look, it's just not going to happen, okay?" Jess said, frustration in her voice.

"Jess, now more than ever, you should tell him how you feel. These are the days worth living, babe. You're young and in love, and _especially_ because we are sitting in a hospital right now, you should realize that there is no point wasting even one more minute without him if you truly do love him."

Jess looked down at her hands in her lap and frowned.

"Cece, stop, I don't want to talk about this any more."

Cece sighed and grabbed another magazine from the pile. "Fine, but we're going to have to resolve this relationship standstill between you and Nick soon and if you don't do it, then I will."

Jess frowned, blatantly ignoring Cece's last comment as she flipped through the magazine.

The hour passed fairly quickly as Jess and Cece eventually started small talk after the Nick discussion talking about what product Cece's next photo shoot was for, and all of the shoes they saw in the magazines that they wanted to buy.

Nurse Christine walked into the waiting room and asked Jess and Cece to follow them to Dr. Lynn's office. They took a seat and waited for Dr. Lynn to arrive. Jess looked at Dr. Lynn's desk. There was a pretty paperweight in the shape of a dolphin, an expensive looking but very classy pen in a holder and one of those stand up desk calendars in the corner. All in all, it was very organized and very minimal. _My desk never looks like this_, she mused.

"Miss Day," Dr. Lynn said as she entered. "I'm so sorry to keep you waiting."

Dr. Lynn sat down at her desk, placing her hands together in front of her and leaning forwards.

"Jessica," she addressed her by her first name for the first time and immediately Jess knew what she was about to say wasn't going to be good.

"I'm sorry to tell you that I do not have good news for you. We've examined the cell samples and the tests came back irregular. So, I've consulted with the pathologist and reviewed your previous blood work."

Dr. Lynn took a deep breath, trying to be as gentle as possible as she delivered this devastating news.

"From the results, it looks like you have a rare form of mediastinal large B-Cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Basically what that means is that you have cancer of the lymphatic system. From what we can tell by the initial tests, there is tumor growth in your mediastinum, which is the area between your lungs and behind your breast bone, as well as some swelling in your lymph nodes in your neck."

Jess blinked in shock, not quite believing the words that had just come out of the doctor's mouth. _This is a nightmare,_ she thought. _This can't be happening._

Cece reached over and grabbed Jess' hand, squeezing it so hard it was almost painful.

"Jessica, I know this is a terrible shock, but we need to find out whether or not the cancer has spread. I would like to run a CT scan and a take a bone marrow biopsy. If you have the time today, I would like to schedule them both immediately."

Cece had tears running down her face as she clutched Jess' hand. Dr. Lynn looked between Jess and Cece, waiting for a response.

"Jess, sweetie?" she asked, trying to prompt Jess out of her shocked silence.

Jess looked up slowly at the doctor, still in a daze.

"Hm? Oh, yes, sorry, okay. I can do that today."

"Okay, follow me to the exam room and Christine will be back in a moment to get you prepped."

Jess stood up and felt as if she was having an out of body experience. Her limbs felt heavy and she wished that this whole week had all just been a terrible, terrible dream. Cece supported her weight, as she led her out of the room, an arm around her waist.

The next thing Jess knew, she was back in one of those horrible gowns and lying on her side, clutching Cece's hand.

Glancing at the tray of instruments with the biggest needle she had ever seen in her life along with a bunch of other scary looking tools, she began to freak out a little. "I don't think I can do this," Jess whispered frantically.

"Yes, you can, babe. I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere" Cece comforted.

Jess closed her eyes. She was so grateful for all that Cece was doing for her and yet she felt unbearably guilty that all she really wanted was for Nick to be the one there, holding her hand, whispering words of comfort, and stroking her hair.

Dr. Lynn entered the exam room with Christine. They both put on gloves, Dr. Lynn untied Jess' gown at the back to the base of her spine and Christine handed Dr. Lynn a needle.

"The first needle is just a local anesthetic that will numb the area a bit, you'll feel a little pinch and then the sensation of a bee sting which will fade fairly quickly, okay?"

Jess nodded, acknowledging Dr. Lynn's words. Cece held Jess' hand, leaning down so their foreheads were touching and they were looking into each other's eyes.

Jess felt a tiny pinch and felt the cool liquid enter under her skin followed by a slight tingling and then a numb sensation.

After a few moments, the nurse handed Dr. Lynn the needle for the biopsy.

"Okay, Miss Day, you might still feel a bit of pain and discomfort as I draw out the sample, but I'm going to do my best to make this as quick as possible."

As the needle penetrated her lower back, Jess whimpered, her whole body tensing and her hold on Cece's hand becoming excruciatingly tight.

Jess began counting the seconds, astonished that time was moving so slowly as tears began to leak out of the corner of her eyes and down her cheeks.

At last, she felt the pressure disappear, and her body relaxed as Christine placed a bandage where the sample had been drawn.

"All done, Miss Day. Please take a moment to relax, and then Christine will get you prepped for your CT scan. After your scan, you can go home, but before you leave, please make an appointment with me for tomorrow morning. I will review the results tonight and we can discuss the findings and treatment options tomorrow. If you still have a bit of pain from the biopsy tonight, any mild painkiller should ease your discomfort."

"Okay, thank you." Jess said in a quiet voice.

Dr. Lynn left the room and Christine stepped forward. "Alright, Miss Day, I'm going to grab you a wheelchair and take you down to the CT scanner. Your friend can wait in the waiting room. The scan should only take about 20 minutes.

Jess looked at Cece in panic. Cece leaned down and spoke to Jess calmly.

"It's okay, babe, I'll be in the waiting room the whole time, okay? Just think of something that calms you down during the scan, like… baking cupcakes, or one of your lesson plans, okay? And then it will be over before you know it."

Jess nodded. Christine brought the wheel chair forward and Jess gingerly lowered herself down, her back slightly aching from her biopsy as she tried to steady her breathing.

The elevator ride to the X-ray and imaging department in the hospital was quiet. When the elevator doors opened, Christine pushed Jess in the wheelchair to the desk and spoke to another nurse while she handed her Jess' chart.

"Miss Day, this is Melanie. She will be taking over your scan from here. Make sure to come and see me when you get back to the waiting room to book your appointment tomorrow morning, okay?"

Jess nodded as Melanie came up to her from behind the desk.

"Alright, Miss Day, the scanner is just through these doors. Let's get this scan done and get you out of here so you can spend what's left of the day resting."

Melanie steered the wheelchair to the side of the CT scanner.

"Okay, sweetie, can you lie down for me on the bed, your head on the pillow and your feet at this end, please." Melanie indicated to the bed attached to the large scanning machine.

Jess did as she was instructed, and Melanie came over to the side of the bed. She gently moved Jess' arms, positioning them above her head and then placed a blanket around Jess and tucked her in.

"So you don't get cold, honey. Now, I'm going to need to you stay as still as possible during the scan, okay? You'll head some buzzing and clicking noises but don't worry that's normal and part of the scan. Do you have any questions?"

Jess shook her head.

"Alright, I'll be back to get you once the scan is finished."

Jess recited all the ingredients to her famous red velvet cupcakes as the bed slowly moved into the scanner and then finally finished. Melanie helped Jess sit up and get dressed and then took her back down to the waiting room in the wheelchair.

Cece stood up immediately as soon as Jess was back in the waiting room and Jess took in Cece's worried expression.

"You okay, Jess?" Cece asked.

Jess nodded and stood up from the wheelchair, thanking Melanie for her help.

"I'm okay, Cece. Let's just make this appointment for tomorrow and get out of here."

Cece grabbed Jess' hand and squeezed, trying to smile, her eyes all red and puffy from crying.

"Absolutely, I'm thinking some ice cream is in order for lunch, don't you?"

* * *

Dear readers, I'm so sorry for the long delay in getting this chapter up. I had to go out of town unexpectedly and then when I got back I found myself writing segments for future chapters to come and had a bit of a writer's block for this chapter. Luckily, my muse seems to have come back. Another chapter to follow soon with some Nick and Jess interaction. Yay! Please read and review, I really love reading all your comments and it keeps me motivated to write! :)

- ohskylark


	6. Six Flavors of Ice Cream

**Chapter 6 – Six Flavors of Ice Cream**

Disclaimer: I don't own New Girl, but can we all just take a moment to appreciate its existence? The two-episode premiere was amazing tonight!

A/N: Firstly, I would like to apologize for how long it has taken me to update this story. Unfortunately real life has come in the way of writing this but I'm trying to make time that I don't have to keep writing! Thank you for all the favorites and follows and reviews, I don't get a chance to write back to everyone, but please know that I do appreciate them! I know this is a short chapter, but it seemed like a good ending and a longer chapter will follow soon! Please read and review!

Cece and Jess left the hospital and climbed back into Cece's car. After driving to the grocery store and buying six different flavors of ice cream, they drove back to Cece's apartment, grabbed two spoons, and curled up into bundles of blankets on the couch, eating their ice cream right out of the pots as Cece cried silently and Jess tried to think of something to say to Cece to make her feel better. But Jess didn't even know what to say to herself to make this horrible situation any better. She just felt shocked inside, numb and even though she wanted to cry she just simply couldn't.

The next morning, Cece and Jess made their way back to the hospital, Cece holding her hand tightly until they were called into Dr. Lynn's office.

"Good morning," Dr. Lynn greeted. "How are you feeling this morning, Jessica?"

"The same but a little nervous."

Dr. Lynn half smiled and half grimaced in sympathy.

"Alright, well, I'll get straight into it. The good news is that your bone marrow is clean, there is no evidence of disease there. However…" she paused as she pulled the CT scans out of a brown folder, stood up and moved to place them up on the lightbox on the wall. "In this area right here," she said as she pointed to the scans, "there is an enlarged lymph node in the hilum of your lung, and there is another cluster here, in your axillary lymph nodes in your armpits, and over here, in the femoral lymph nodes in your groin area, in addition to the swollen nodes we were aware of in your throat."

"So, it's definitely spread," said Jess.

Dr. Lynn, looking sympathetic, nodded in agreement. "Yes, I'm afraid so. With this number of swollen glands, and the fact that the lymphoma is present in both your upper and lower body, this puts your cancer at Stage 3."

A sob came from beside her and she knew without looking that Cece was crying. The numbness she had felt in her chest before felt like a balloon that had just been popped and she knew she was about to lose it.

Dr. Lynn sat back down behind her desk. "Based on the levels of lactate dehydrogenase in your blood, it seems that your lymphoma is fairly fast-growing and we need to ensure that we begin to shrink the tumors to stop any further spreading."

"So what are the treatment options?" Cece asked as she sniffled and put on her brave face.

"Well, there are a few options available, the first is radiation, the second is chemotherapy, and the third is what is called monoclonal antibody therapy."

Cece looked over and saw Jess staring out of the window of the office, before she turned back to look at Dr. Lynn.

"Okay, so which one of those treatments is best at beating this type of cancer? I… I mean, I don't really know much about all this…" Cece said, flustered and upset. She just wanted to know how she could get this horrible disease out of her best friend's body.

"Well, all of these treatments are viable options, but it really depends on the individual and how they respond. Now, chemotherapy is one of the primary treatments for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, but radiation and the antibody therapy both work to target and destroy the cancerous cells as well, so it really just depends what Jessica is most comfortable with."

"Jess," Cece prompted.

Jess slowly looked at Cece and then Dr. Lynn as tears began to run down her cheeks.

"I… I'll have to think about it…" Jess choked out.

"Of course, Jessica. I'll give you the research, you can take it home, read it over and discuss your options with your family and friends. I know that this has come as a terrible shock but I have to stress, that the sooner you make a decision the better."

It was official. She had cancer. Stage 3.

She sat in the office, Cece holding her hand in a death grip, and cried.

A/N: Please read and review! :)


	7. Dry Toast

**Chapter 7 – Dry Toast**

Cece had driven Jess home and tucked her into bed. Jess hadn't said a word to Cece since the official diagnosis. She had heard Cece's words of comfort and reassurances that everything would be alright but she just couldn't bring herself to believe it.

Dr. Lynn's words continued to echo in her head. _Treatment. Tumors. Cancer. Cancer. Cancer. Ugh! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! _she thought angrily to the voice inside her head.

Eventually she must have fell asleep because the next thing she knew, it was morning and she was woken up by a knock at her door.

"Jess?" Nick's voice called.

She slowly rolled out of bed and walked to the door. Her back was still aching from the biopsy and she winced as she straightened up, trying to plaster a fake smile on her face to hide how she was really feeling.

"Hey Jess, I was just on my way to the drug store and I was wondering if you needed me to…. woah, are you okay?" he asked as he took in her pale, slightly sweaty face and her shaking hands.

He quickly moved his hand up to her cheek and could feel the heat radiating off her skin.

"Oh my god, Jess, you're burning up."

"I'm fine." She said, turning away and moving into her room. Nick followed.

"You're not fine." He spoke, his voice clearly demonstrating his worry as he pressed the back of his hand onto her forehead.

"Schmidt!" Hey, Schmidt!" he yelled trying to get Schmidt's attention in the kitchen.

"Nick! Stop it! I'm fine!" she said as she swatted his hand away from her head.

"What is with all the yelling, people it's 6:30 in the morning, it's way too early for… wow, Jess, are you okay? You look like you have the plague," he asked as he backed up a few steps, shocked at how sick she looked.

"Yes. _I'm fine_. If you could both get out of my room, I could get dressed and go to work," Jess said with an irritated tone. _I do not need the Spanish Inquisition right now. Ugh, I feel awful! _she thought.

She turned to walk to her closet when a wave of dizziness overwhelmed her and she swayed.

"Woah, woah, woah, Jess, why don't you sit down for a minute." Nick said as he moved to her side and steadied her.

She was radiating heat.

"We need to see what your temperature is, Jess."

"Schimdt, can you grab the first aid kit? I think there's a thermometer in there."

"Sure, man."

"Nick, please, I really need to go, I'm going to be late for work."

"You're not going anywhere Jess, you've been working too hard, and you haven't given yourself time to get over this cold. I mean seriously, Jess, you've been sick for ages. Take a day and relax okay? Give yourself time to get better."

"Okay, Nick, stop fussing," Jess said as she swatted his hand away from her forehead.

Schmidt came back into her room and handed Nick the thermometer as he held a tissue over his nose and mouth.

"No offense, Jess, but I can't afford to risk getting sick right now. There's a bomb diggity of a party happening tomorrow and I need to be at my prime."

Nick scowled. "Fine, Schmidt, get out, I got this."

"Feel better, Jess!" Schmidt yelled as he ran from the room.

Nick looked over at Jess who seemed even paler than before.

"Here, let's see what your temperature is," he said as he placed the thermometer into her ear and clicked the button on the side.

After a few seconds, it beeped and he frowned worridly as he saw Jess' temperature was at 104 degrees F.

Nick rubbed Jess' back, knowing that he needed to get some fever reducers and maybe some ice packs too, if he wanted to get her fever down as quickly as possible.

"I'm going to go to the drug store and get you some stuff to make you feel better, okay? And I'll call the school and let you know you won't be in today."

Jess just lay back down on her bed.

"Promise me you won't go to the school while I'm gone."

"I promise, Nick."

"Seriously, Jess. I mean it."

"I know. I won't."

"Okay, I'll be back before you know it!"

Jess closed her eyes and Nick paused in the doorway to watch her resting, before grabbing his wallet and heading out the door.

Two weeks had passed since that morning Nick had found Jess too sick to go to work. Nick had been a saint and had looked after her until her fever had gone down. After that, it had been two long weeks of trying to keep her hospital visits and further tests a secret from her roomates and two long weeks reading treatment options and online forums. _How depressing, _she thought.

After her diagnosis, Cece had begun calling Jess almost every few hours when she and Jess were apart and since then, Jess had gotten in to the habit of sleeping at Cece's place to suppress Cece's worry. It had also become a convenient excuse to avoid spending time with her roommates, namely Nick, who would be far too perceptive for Jess to hide what was going on. Every night after Cece would make them multiple meals, trying to coerse Jess into eating something, _anything_, that didn't make her nauseus, Cece would beg Jess to talk to her about treatment options, saying, "let's make the decision together, let me help you through this."

But Jess didn't want too. She knew she was being stupid. She needed to decide. She was wasting time that she could be using to fight back, but she just couldn't decide, couldn't be strong, couldn't think clearly right now. Did she even want to treat it? Did she want to be going through chemotherapy, vomiting and losing her hair for the rest of her likely short life? Did she want horrible chemicals running through her veins? Did she want to be a lab rat for some clinical test that might not even work? No, what she really wanted was for cancer to never have existed in the first place.

She sighed as these thoughts ran through her head as sat on a stool at the kitchen counter nibbling on some dry toast. Nothing seemed appetizing to her anymore and more often then not, the smell of all food seemed to make her nauseas. She had woken up this morning feeling particularly dizzy and her head had begun to throb almost unbearably when she had gotten out of bed. She was feeling so out of it, she didn't even notice when Nick came into the kitchen.

"Hey Jess."

She jumped, placing a hand over her heart and gasped, causing her to have a small coughing fit.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Oh, no, it was my fault, I was lost in my thoughts," she said once she caught her breath.

Nick looked at her, and really took a good long look. He felt as though this was the first time he had really looked at her in a while. She was always either at work or in her room "grading papers" – I mean, how many papers do these poor sixth graders write now a days? - The rest of the time she spent at Cece's place for, as Cece put it, "no boys allowed time". Even Schmidt had complained at how much time the girls were now spending with each other, as his alone time with Cece had rapidly decreased. Nick was desperate to find out what was going on, what had been keeping her so upset for the last few weeks and what had happened that day he had gotten the call from the clinic about his test results. Her behavior was just so un-Jess-like. He was worried about her. He missed her. He… well, he loved her. Oh, he was so screwed. He loved her so much it was ridiculous. He had never felt this depth of warm, fuzzy feelings or the gut wrenching concern for anyone, not even Caroline who he had once truly thought was the 'real thing'.

"I was just on my way back to my room, I'll get out of your way" she said, dropping her practically uneaten and now cold toast back onto her plate, wanting nothing more than to just crawl back in to bed, hoping the world would stop swaying.

"Wait, Jess, let me make you some real breakfast, what would you like?"

"Oh, no, thank you Nick, but it's okay. I have a lot of work to do today."

Nick frowned. Was she ever going to confide in him the way she used to? Things had seemed to get awkward between them lately and he just didn't understand why.

Nick watched as she slowly slid of the stool, frowning when she seemed unsteady on her feet and her face seemed to lose the little color it had to begin with.

He stepped towards her, alarmed. "Jess? Are you okay?"

She stood swaying, her knuckles white, one hand gripping the counter, and the other clutching at the sudden pain in her chest as she doubled over in a coughing fit. She gasped for air between her coughs. He felt frozen to the spot as his eyes widened as he saw her eyes roll back and her lids flutter closed.

And then she fell.

"JESS!"

He unfroze and caught her just in time before she hit the floor and cradled her head in his lap.

"Oh god, Jess?! Jess! Can you hear me? Wake up, Jess!"

There was no response as Jess' head lolled to one side as he shook her.

"SCHMIDT! WINSTON! HELP! SOMEONE CALL AN AMBULANCE!"

Schmidt and Winston came rushing out of their rooms. Schmidt pulled out his phone and seeing Jess cradled in Nick's arms, immediately dialed 911. Nick could hear him reciting their address in a panicked tone. Winston knelt down next to Nick.

"Nick, what _happened, _man?!"

"I don't know Winston, she just stood up and went all pale and then all of a sudden she passed out. Oh my god, what's wrong with her? Why won't she wake up?"

"Jess!" he said, gently shaking her, trying to wake her up.

"Is she breathing?" Winston asked in panic. Nick's eyes widened in alarm.

Why hadn't he checked that as soon as she had passed out?

Nick placed his face above her mouth, feeling his heart might just stop from the level of panic he was currently experiencing, desperate to feel her breath on his cheek, as Winston check for a pulse on her wrist.

After a second that stretched into an eternity, Nick felt a weak breath tickle his cheek.

"She's breathing," Nick whispered in relief and Winston nodded, feeling a weak pulse flutter beneath his fingers.

Nick heard sirens and clutched Jess tighter to his chest.

"It's going to be okay, Jess, you're going to be okay, help is coming."

"Nick, I don't think she can't hear you right now," Winston said as he looked from Nick to Jess to Schmidt worriedly.

Nick ignored him and continued to whisper reassurances to Jess and stroking her hair. When the paramedics arrived they pushed Nick away from Jess and he reluctantly released his grip on her, but he grabbed her hand and held it tight, refusing to move any further away from her as the paramedics placed an oxygen mask on her face and lifted her onto a stretcher.

Schmidt pulled out his cell phone again. "I'm going to call Cece and let her know what happened. Grab your keys Nick, let's get to the hospital."

They all followed the paramedics out of the apartment, and down to the awaiting ambulance. Nick glanced at Schmidt, just barely tearing his eyes away from Jess' face and spoke in a tone that was clear that there would be no argument as he reached into his pocket with his free hand and tossed Schmidt his keys. "I'm riding in the ambulance with her. You can take my car if you want. We'll meet you there."

Winston and Schmidt shared a worried yet knowing look and preceded to get into Nick's car, watching as Nick climbed into the ambulance and the doors shut, the ambulance speeding off, it's sirens blazing.

"Where is she?" asked Cece frantically as she ran into the waiting room.

Nick, Schmidt, and Winston stood up quickly when Cece entered. Schmidt put a hand on Cece's arm in an attempt to calm her down.

"The doctors are running tests to find out why she fainted," Schmidt said gently, rubbing her arm in comfort.

"Oh god, is she okay?" Cece asked frantically.

Schmidt lead her to a seat and they all sat down while Nick filled Cece in on what had happened when Jess collapsed.

Two hours later, Dr. Lynn entered the waiting room. They were all sitting anxiously, Cece on the verge of tears and Nick with his face resting on his hands.

"Friends and family of Jessica Day?" Her voice seemed to echo around the silent and tension filled room.

Cece looked up from where she had her head buried in Schmidt's shoulder just barely hanging on from spilling the tears that had threatened to surface since she got Schmidt's call. She immediately recognized Dr. Lynn. They all stood up quickly as the doctor approached.

"Miss Meyers, it's good to see you again, I'm sorry that it's under such unfortunate circumstances."

All of the boys looked at Cece in confusion.

"Could someone please tell us what is going on? Is Jess okay?" Nick said, irritated he was out of the loop and anxiously waiting for news on Jess' condition.

"Miss Day is stable for the moment. When she was admitted she was dehydrated and had a low-grade fever, which were likely the main causes of the sudden fainting spell. We'd like to keep her on fluids and monitor her over night but she should be able to return home tomorrow afternoon.

Nick was relieved. It wasn't that bad, he just had to make sure she stayed hydrated. He would make her all the honey and lemon tea in the world if he had to. But his whole world came shattering down around him at the doctor's next words.

"That being said, it has been two weeks since she was officially diagnosed and over a month of symptoms before that. It is vitally important that she make a decision regarding treatment immediately so that we can get her started on it as soon as possible. I'm going to be honest with all of you. Without treatment, her prognosis is not good and at Stage 3, we need to work as quickly as we can to begin to shrink the tumors before they progress any further."

The boys all looked up at the doctor with fear and shock in their eyes. The tears that Cece had quelled for so long began to fall.

"I'm sorry, wait, _tumors_? I thought she was just dehydrated and a bit run down. Are you saying she has _cancer_?" Nick asked in shock.

Dr. Lynn looked taken aback. "I'm so sorry, I assumed that since you were all here, Miss Day had told you all about her diagnosis."

"It's okay, thank you doctor, I'll fill them in and we'll make sure to get her to decide on a treatment by the end of the week," Cece whispered.

Dr. Lynn nodded and began to turn away, an apologetic frown on her face.

Nick panicked, "Wait! Where is she? When can we see her?" Nick asked desperately.

"She's just being transferred to an overnight room now. A Nurse will come and find you in a few minutes to take you to her room." The doctor wished them all the best and to call if Jess had any questions about the treatment options she had gone through with her.

They all turned to Cece when the doctor left the room.

Nick's panic quickly turned into rage and he whipped around to Cece, glaring.

"What the _hell_, Cece?" Nick spat in anger.

Schmidt placed himself between Cece and Nick. "Hey, Nick, calm down, don't talk to Cece like that. This isn't her fault!"

"The hell it isn't her fault, she didn't tell us what was going on and now it's been two more weeks that Jess hasn't been receiving treatment. What were you doing on your sleepovers with Jess, pretending cancer didn't exist and the world was all sunshine and rainbows?!"

"S_hut up_, Nick, you have no idea what you're talking about. My dad _died_ from cancer, I've been through this before you idiot, and from my experience the most important thing that _you_ need to understand right now is that it's not _your_ cancer, it's Jess'. She didn't want any of you to know and I was just respecting her wishes. And just for the record, I have been pouring over medical journals and forums researching Lymphoma treatments and I've been _begging_ Jess to make a decision, but _she_ has to make it, not any of us!"

Nick's anger deflated and it quickly turned into despair. He looked like he was going to faint himself. This couldn't be happening. One minute everything had been fine, they'd all been really happy together, like a small and slightly dysfunctional (in a good way) family. And then he thought he had cancer and that was horrible. He was so relieved when the results came back negative. Oh god. The results. She must have gotten her results back the same day he did. And they had celebrated that night, leaving her alone in the loft. Oh god, everything made sense now.

Nick collapsed down onto one of the chairs with his face in his hands. Cece sat down next to him.

"Nick, look, I would do anything for Jess. If I could take this cancer from her and put it in myself I would. But this is happening to _her_ and she is the one that has to decide what she wants to do. We just need to be there for her, help her even when she refuses it, and we need to be positive for her."

Nick pinched the bridge of his nose, taking in a big calming breath and then looked up at Cece.

"Talk to me. Tell me everything you know about her cancer, and I'm going to need to read all those journals you mentioned." Nick was more focused then Cece had ever seen him, and for a moment, she envisioned Nick in law school, pouring over books and interning at a law firm. He was in full lawyer mode now.

"You said it's called Lymphoma? What does that mean? How many tumors does she have? Is Stage 3 the worst kind?" Nick pleaded for answers.

Cece looked at him with what he thought was respect in her teary eyes. "You really love her, don't you?" she whispered.

"What? No! I mean, yes, of course! I mean, I… I care about her, you know, like, as a really good friend…" Nick trailed off.

Winston and Schmidt looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Of course Nick loved Jess, it was so obvious he might as well have been wearing a sign on his forehead.

"Look at me Nick," startled, Nick locked eyes with Cece. He had never heard her use such a serious tone before.

"Do. You. Love. Jess?" she asked making every word a sentence on its own, and Nick couldn't break eye contact even if he wanted to.

Nick closed his eyes. There was no more time left for denying it. He opened his eyes, connecting with Cece's and answered.

"Yes," he whispered and there was nothing but truth in his voice.

Cece nodded, relieved that he finally admitted it and she took his hand. Schmidt and Winston came and sat down in front of them, Schmidt taking Cece's other hand and Winston patting Nick on the arm. They were her support system, they would get Jess through this. Together.

A few minutes later, the nurse entered the waiting room and told them Jess had been moved to a room for the night but that visiting hours would be ending in half an hour.

They made their way to Jess' room and sat around her bed in silence. The boys were still shocked at her diagnosis and hurt that she and Cece had kept it all quiet.

Jess looked so fragile and so small on the bed with all of the wires and needles attached to her. Nick winced at the thought of the needles in her hands and arms but suppressed his feelings, afterall, she had done the same for him that first day at the clinic, and he walked up to her, taking her hand gently in his as he sat in the chair next to her bed.

_She's lost weight. How did I not notice before?_ Nick thought as he took in her fragile form. _I should have been paying more attention. Cooking for her more. Making her take time to eat._

He sighed loudly, and ran a hand down his face, feeling as though he either wanted to throw something or pull his hair out in despair. _How could she have not told them what was going on? How could she not have told __**him**__?_ He thought.

Jess' eyes fluttered and Nick leaned forward in his chair. Jess tried to open her eyes, wincing at the harsh fluorescent lighting in the room caused the pounding to increase in her head and quickly shutting her eyes again. Seeing her wince, Nick asked Winston to turn the lights off. She tried again and was able to open her eyes without the total blinding pain in her head.

"Jess?" Nick spoke quietly, her hand still in his, resting on the bed, his thumb moving gently back and forth on top of her hand in comfort.

Jess turned her head a fraction of on inch, confusion in her eyes.

"Jess, do you remember what happened? Do you know where you are?" Nick asked quietly, seeing her confusion.

Jess blinked a few more times and Cece let go of the death grip she had on Schmidt hand moving to other side of the bed, taking Jess' other hand in both of hers.

"Hey babe, you fainted in the kitchen. Nick caught you, thank god."

Jess, who had not left eye contact from Nick whispered, "thank you".

"Jess, why didn't you tell me?" Nick asked desperately, his voice cracking slightly.

A tear began to roll down Jess' cheek.

"I'm sorry."

"What have you decided for treatment?"

"I don't know. I don't even know if I want treatment," Jess whispered.

"What?! What the hell do you mean?! You have to get treatment! You have to fight this, Jess!"

"Nick! Stop yelling at her!" Cece said angrily.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. As he exhaled he opened his eyes and in a more calm but still serious tone of voice apologized. "I'm sorry Jess. But seriously, what are we going to do?"

"We?" Jess asked in a small voice.

"Well, yeah, I'm here for you Jess, we all are."

"I just… I really… I just really need some more time to think about it before I decide."

Nick and Cece exchanged a look and they both frowned at Jess' avoidance to treatment.

"What did the doctor say?" Jess asked.

"You were dehydrated and had a fever," Nick replied.

"Do I have to stay here?"

"Only for tonight babe, and then you can go home tomorrow," Cece reassured Jess as she squeezed her hand.

The Nurse popped her head in the door. "Visiting hours are over in 15 minutes."

Jess got a panicked look in her eye and Nick leaned in closer to her.

"It's okay, Jess. You need to rest. It's only for one night."

"Will you… can you… you'll come and pick me up tomorrow?" Jess asked, embarrasment and uncertainty lingering in her voice.

"Of course, I'll be here as soon as visiting hours start in the morning," Nick replied instantly.

Winston, Schmidt, and Cece smiled slightly at Nick and Jess' conversation. It was as if none of the rest of them existed, they were so wrapped up in each others presence.

"Promise?" Nick's heart was breaking at how small and unsure her voice was.

"I promise, Jess," he said such conviction and as Jess looked into his eyes, she didn't doubt him for a second.

A/N: Wooo! That was a long one! But I'm happy to post this one. And you get two new chapters back to back. I was inspired by the two episode premiere. Anywho! It's late and I should be sleeping so enjoy! And please read and review! I want to know what you all think!

- ohskylark


	8. A 'Normal' Night Out

**Chapter 8 – A 'Normal' Night Out**

Schmidt, Cece and Winston took a cab back to the loft, leaving Nick's car for him to bring Jess back home in the morning. Nick stayed in the waiting room the rest of the night. He couldn't bring himself to leave Jess alone in the hospital all night and even though he couldn't be in her room, he was going to stay as close to her as he could get. Besides, he couldn't even think of sleeping right now, not after finding out that Jess was sick, _really_ sick. He felt like he was drowning in worry. _She needs to get through this, she has too_, he thought as he streched out across three uncomfortable chairs.

In the morning, as soon as visiting hours began, he moved to her room, sitting down and gently holding her hand until she woke up.

When she shifted and her eyes began to flutter open, he smiled gently.

"Hey Jess," he said quietly.

"Mmm… hi," she said back, he voice a bit rough.

"Hang on, let me get you some water," Nick said as he moved to the other side of the bed and poured a glass from the pitcher on the sidetable.

"Here, sit up for me," Nick said as he gently helped Jess sit up.

Jess took the glass from him, grateful for the cool relief of the water as she sipped.

"Thank you," she said, looking into his eyes.

"No problem," he answered as he took the glass from her to place it back on the table, and helped her to lie back down.

"No, seriously, thank you for being here Nick," Jess said earnestly as she took his hand again and squeezed it gently.

After the nurse helped her get dressed and she filled out all of the release forms, Nick wrapped his arm around her and helped her out to the car.

Nick and Jess spent the day with Schmidt and Cece, who were more subdued than normal but seemed intent on making it a positive day for Jess, cooking all different kinds of food and watching re-runs of cheesy television sitcoms with forced positivity. But by the time the evening rolled around Jess sat on the couch, a blanket around her, courtesy of Nick, completely bored out of her mind.

It was Friday night and usually everyone had plans, but tonight all of her roommates and their significant others had joined her on the couch and they all sat, watching another lame TV show. As she glanced around her, she realized that none of them were really paying attention to the show. Since she had gotten back from the hospital earlier that day, things had been a bit tense. Everyone was walking on eggshells around her and this was exactly why she hadn't wanted everyone to find out. Cece was picking at a loose thread on her top, Schmidt circling his thumb on her other hand that he was holding. Nick kept glancing at her out of the corner of her eye and Winston and Shelby, who Winston had spent the night with and filled her in on Jess' diagnosis, looked uncomfortable and worried. She couldn't take it anymore.

"Alright that's it." She took the controls and turned the TV off. "I want to have a normal night, let's go to the bar, grab a drink, have some fun," she spoke trying to make her weak voice convincing.

They all looked at each other in surprise.

"Babe, it's okay, we're having a nice time hanging out here," Cece said soothingly.

"Cece, come on, you weren't even paying attention to what was just on TV. We're going. Give me 15 minutes to get ready, and then we're out the door."

"Jess… are you sure that's such a good idea?" Nick said, hesitation and disbelief in his voice.

"Yes, _Nicholas_, I'm absolutely sure. Stop treating me like I'm made of glass. I'm not going to break!"

She stood up suddenly and Nick's heart stopped as she wavered for a moment. He could tell she was dizzy. _This was a very, very bad idea._

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

_Pull it together Jess_, she thought.

She opened her eyes and looked at their worried faces.

She forced a smile. "15 minutes. You all better be ready."

The car ride to the bar was incredibly uncomfortable. Nick drove, Jess in the shotgun seat, and the rest of the four of them squished together in the back. Jess tried to think of something to say, but she was exhausted and didn't truly know what to say to her friends when she couldn't even lie to herself to make herself feel better.

Finally they arrived at the bar and by that point she was thouroughly regretting her decision. This was such a bad idea. One of her absolute worst. She felt so dizzy and as she closed her eyes she imagined she was drifting away at sea on a boat.

As Jess slowly got out of the car, Nick noticed that she was wobbling and casually put an arm around her waist, supporting her. "Why don't we all go in and find a booth?" he said.

She looked up at him greatfully, apology in her eyes for her earlier outburst. Nick just squeezed her waist gently, silently understanding and showing her he wasn't at all mad.

He casually held onto her until she was safely sitting in the booth next to Schmidt.

"I'll get the first round," Nick said

"One pink wine for me, please Nick," Jess said casually as if this was any other night.

Nick and Cece's eyes met.

"I'll help you carry the drinks, Nick" Cece said as she forced a smile at Jess.

Nick and Cece walked up to the bar. Nick leaned against the bar and sighed, rubbing a hand down his face in exhaustion and worry.

"This was a _terrible_ idea," Cece said as she glanced back at Jess who seemed to have struck up a coversation with Shelby.

"Absolutely. Listen, I'm not going to be drinking tonight…" Nick said awkwardly as he thought about how he could explain to Cece that he wanted to be on the lookout for the slightest sign of pain or exhaustion in Jess.

"Me either. I want to keep an eye on Jess," Cece said as she patted Nick's arm. He was relieved that she understood and he didn't have to find a way to say the words aloud.

"1 Vodka Soda, hold the Vodka, 1 glass of rosé, 1 glass of red, 2 beers and a gingerale in a beer cup please," Cece ordered to the bartender on duty.

Carefully carrying the drinks between the two of them, Nick and Cece wandered back and Nick slid into the booth next to Jess, immediately checking how she seemed out of the corner of his eye.

Jess thanked Nick as he placed her pink wine in front of her. As she raised the glass to her mouth, to take a small sip, her hand shook slightly and it took all of Nick's self-control to not pick her up and carry her back home to bed to rest. Instead, he tried to pay attention to what she was saying.

"So Shelby, I heard that you're the manager of a restaurant. I'd love to come by some time and taste the food there, I've heard it's amazing. What's your favorite thing on the menu, I want to make sure I try it."

Shelby was surprised at the sudden conversation.

"Oh, um, well, personally my favorite dish is the spaghetti carbonara, but I do have a weakness for pasta," she said as Winston kissed her on the head and she blushed.

"That sounds delicious. I'll have to come by as soon as possible to try that," she smiled. _This was working_ she thought, _this is a good distraction_.

"I can bring some back from the restaurant tomorrow night if you want. I could bring some for all of us and that way you wouldn't have to travel all the way to the restaurant…" Shelby trailed off awkwardly.

Jess' face fell. So much for that. Thanks for the reminder, Shelby. She weakly tried to bring the smile back to her face. She knew Shelby was trying to be nice. She meant well.

Shelby flushed and looking down feeling bad that she had ruined the mood, Winston subtly rubbing her thigh under the table in comfort.

There was silence for a few minutes and they all sat, drinking and avoiding eye contact with Jess.

Nick struck up a conversation with Jess, casually debating the choice between regular shots or jello shots, as they watched a group of college girls getting drunk at another table, until Jess glanced around at everyone's mostly empty glasses.

"The next round is on me!" Jess announced, plastering a smile on her face.

Nick and Cece glanced at each other, the same thought in their minds._ There really shouldn't be another round!_

Jess poked Nick in his side and he turned to look at her. She shouldn't have had that glass of pink wine, it made her feel even more seasick and now she had to pee, which meant she had to get up. "Hey, excuse me for a minute, I need to use the little girls room."

Nick stood up and offered Jess a hand as she scooted to the edge of the booth. She took a deep breath before standing up. Nick glanced at Cece.

"Jess, you need a pee break? Me too! Let's go together," Cece said enthusiastically.

"Cece I don't need you to babysit me, I'm fine, I can pee by myself."

"Don't be silly, I need to go too, there are only so many vodka soda's a girl can handle, besides, girls always go to the bathroom in teams."

She walked with Jess to the bathroom and after finishing before Jess, Cece waited at the sink, pretending to fix her makeup.

Jess washed her hands and was pleased that she had managed all on her own, considering she felt like the ground was moving beneath her feet. But on her way out, Jess' vision blurred from a sudden dizzy spell. She reached out for Cece to balance herself but Cece was just a bit too far ahead of her.

Nick was scanning the crowd watching for her. He felt relief as he saw them exit the washroom, which quickly turned to panic as Jess's head disappeared suddenly. He ran through the crowd, pushing people out of the way as he heard Cece cry, "oh my god, Jess? Jess!"

He reached them in time to see Cece supporting her head in her lap, Jess blinking to clear her vision.

"I'm okay, I'm so sorry, I'm okay," Jess spoke quickly, trying to reassure Cece.

"Jess!" Nick cried as he knelt down beside her.

"Really, guys, I'm okay, I'm just a bit dizzy… I think I might have overdone it a bit tonight. I'm so sorry, maybe this was a bad idea. Could one of you maybe take me home? Actually, I don't want to spoil the fun, don't worry about it, I'll just grab a cab," Jess said quickly, trying to avoid eye contact.

She was about to attempt to sit up when Nick's hand gently cradled the side of her face, freezing her motions. Her eyes met Nick and he looked into her eyes before scanning the rest of her for any injuries from when she fell. Looking satisfied that she hadn't hurt herself, he let the hand slide down from her cheek. Jess looked up surprised at the tender gesture, looking up into his eyes seeing tenderness and worry.

"Don't be ridiculous Jess, you're not going to take a cab. Let me take you home. Come on, up you go," He murmured pulling her upright and supporting the majority of her weight.

She clutched at Nick's arm as he waited for her world to stop spinning as she swayed.

He threw his keys to Cece, "Can you go get the car?" he asked, looking at Jess worridly.

"Yes, of course. I'll be right back, okay, Jess?" Cece said as she patted her arm.

Jess weakly smiled at Cece and clutched onto Nick harder as she felt a wave of nauseua and exhaustion wash over her.

She sighed, swaying, and Nick squeezed her a little tighter.

Schmidt walked over and seeing the state Jess was in, worry washed over his face and he pursed his lips, eyebrows furrowed.

"Hey, is she okay?" he asked Nick.

"I'm fine, Schmidt," Jess said a little sharply. Nick shook his head negativelty so Schmidt could see he clearly disagreed.

Schmidt pursed his lips in worry and then forced a smile and the most convincing enthusiasm he could muster up amongst his worry.

"Are we taking this party home? Nice venue choice my man, nice venue, I can put on my kimono, ooh! Maybe we can order in a sushi platter! Sushi is the bomb, am I right? Am I right?" Schmidt said tyring to break up the tense mood.

Jess cracked a small smile and looked up at Schmidt, apology in her eyes for her little outburst.

"Oh Schmidt, how did you know that was exactly what I wanted to do tonight," she asked weakly in a teasing voice.

Schmidt went back to the booth to get Winston and Shelby as Nick gently led Jess out the door and opened the door to the passagenger side as Cece pulled the car up in front of the bar. He eased Jess down into the car, making sure she didn't fall or hit her head. Jess closed her eyes, fighting the nausea she felt only getting increasingly worse. During the ride back to the loft, she fell asleep. Nick carried her in and laid her on her bed. Cece came in to Jess' room, pausing as she saw the anguished look on Nick's face as he gently stroked Jess' hair back from her face.

"I'll make her a bit more comfortable," she said as she walked over, taking Jess' shoes off, and moving to her closet to grab some pyjamas.

Nick nodded and left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Cece joined Nick in the living room, and pulling her purse over to her, she pulled out her laptop and a bunch of printed papers.

"Here, this is everything I have so far on treatment options, want to go over it with me?"

Nick took a deep breath. "Yes, let's figure this out."

Nick and Cece, Schmidt and Winston and Shelby all sat until late, reading and discussing each treatment option available to treat Jess' cancer.

The next morning, Jess was picking at her cereal, as Nick searched for some food in the fridge, Winston buttered his toast, and Schmidt made coffee. Cece sat beside Jess flicking through a magazine and discussing a scarf that she really wanted with Shelby.

Jess took a deep breath and decided it was now or never. Last night had ended disasterously and she had to face the facts. She was sick and if she didn't do something about it she was going to die. She didn't want to ruin her friend's lives anymore. She wanted things to go back to normal, the way they were before.

"I've decided on treatment."

It was as if the air had been sucked out of the room. Nick spun around from his search in the fridge, the door slamming shut. Everyone looked up at her.

"I've decided I'm going to start with chemo and see how I respond. I think the clinical trial is a bit too risky at this stage and doing chemo means that I can stay here and I won't have to move to Boston where the clinical trial is. If I start responding to the chemo, I'm hoping that I won't have to do the radiation but if not..." her voiced trailed off for a moment. "If not, then I will weigh my options then. I've looked through all the research and I think that plan is my best shot at beating this."

Nick swallowed hard and watched as Cece grabbed Jess' hand giving her an encouraging smile.

"You've made a good choice, Jess, have you told Dr. Lynn yet?"

"No, I'm going to see if I can get an appointment with her today."

"I'll take you, Jess."

Jess glanced up at Nick.

"It's okay, Nick, don't you have to go to work?"

"I took the day off,"

"Nick, you didn't have to do that."

"I didn't feel like going in today, no big deal," Nick said, trying his best to be nonchalent.

"Okay, well, thanks, Nick, I'll go get dressed and give Dr. Lynn a call."

"Sure, I'll be here," Nick smiled at Jess and for the first time in days their eyes met and she smiled back, grateful to have a guy like Nick Miller in her life.

A/N:

First of all, who is loving the new season so far!? Amazing, Tuesday nights are the best. Secondly, a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Keep the reviews coming, please! I love to hear your comments. Also, thank you to Stphanie for her review and medical knowledge! I try to research and keep it as truthful as possible in the medical department but it was helpful to get that feedback. I will also be using more of the advice in the next chapter when Jess meets again with Dr. Lynn.

So, in summary, please read and review everyone!

- ohskylark


	9. Sun Shaped Sunglasses

**Chapter 9 - Sun Shaped Sunglasses**

Disclaimer: Nothing's changed. I unfortunately still don't and will never own the very best tv show in the world (it's New Girl, just in case I wasn't clear).

A/N: Please read and review!

* * *

Nick and Jess sat in Dr. Lynn's office, the ticking of the clock filling the silence as Nick tapped his foot impatiently and Jess crossed and uncrossed her legs nervously.

"It's like doctors deliberately keep you waiting, just for their own amusement," Nick said in an irritated tone, breaking the silence as he glared at the clock on the wall.

"Nick," Jess admonished, "Dr. Lynn is not keeping us waiting just for a laugh, I'm sure she has lots of…doctorly things to do."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Nick grunted.

"Oh Nick, the turtle face has resurfaced! Where has it been hiding?" Jess said with a teasing tone.

As much as Nick tried, a smile broke his turtle face as he looked into Jess' amused eyes. He was a bit overwhelmed by how much her small smile made him feel so suddenly and completely happy, an emotion that he hadn't felt the past few days since he found out about her cancer. Jess hadn't been her normal happy self lately either, and it broke Nick's heart to realize that these happy moments might be less frequent in the weeks and months to come. He silently vowed to himself to try to keep Jess' spirit up as much as he could through this horrible ordeal.

Just as Nick was about to argue that he didn't have and never has had a turtle face, a topic of constant debate between Nick and Jess, Dr. Lynn opened the door to her office and Jess jumped a little in her seat, started by her sudden entrance.

"Good morning, sorry to keep you waiting," Dr. Lynn said as she entered.

"Hi, nice to meet you," said Nick as he held out his hand to Dr. Lynn. "I'm Nick, we didn't officially get introduced the other day at the hospital."

"Oh yes, I'm Dr. Lynn, it's nice to meet you Nick. Thank you for coming with Jess, it's important that she has support at this difficult time," Dr. Lynn said as she shook Nick's hand.

"Jessica," she said, her tone ever so slightly softer, "Thank you for coming in. How are you feeling this morning?" Dr. Lynn asked as she sat down behind her desk.

"Honestly, I've been better, but I'd like to talk to you about treatment," Jess said as she nervously flattened her skirt out on her lap. Jess took a deep breath before she spoke.

"I've been thinking a lot about it and I think it would be best to start with chemotherapy, instead of doing that clinical trial in Boston, and I'm really hoping that maybe we could avoid the radiation altogether?" Jess asked in a hopeful tone.

"Actually Jessica, the radiation treatment would be necessary and would follow the chemotherapy to target your affected lymph nodes directly. I would recommend both for your best chance at beating this," Dr. Lynn said gently.

Jess closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again.

"Well, then I guess that's what I'll have to do," Jess said with resignation in her voice.

"Okay, it's good that you've made a decision," Dr. Lynn spoke as she wrote a few things into Jess' file. "So, what we're going to do is start you on R-CHOP, that's the abbreviated name for the combination of drugs used in the chemotherapy for this stage of aggressive Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. I'd like to start you on this treatment as soon as possible, as it's already been a few weeks since your diagnosis."

Jess nodded nervously. "Okay, so how exactly does it work? How often will I need to do this?"

"It will be 6 - 8 sessions, depending on how you respond, over the course of the next few months, and each session will be 21 days apart. We'll start you on an infusion of Rituximab on the first day of treatment, and then we will begin with the rest of the regimen. You'll then have to take Predinosolone tablets at home each day for five days, and then you'll take the next 16 days to rest and recover. After that, you will need to come back in to repeat the entire regimen again."

Dr. Lynn noticed the tears gathering in Jess' eyes and knew that Jess was feeling overwhelmed.

"This oulines the treatment in more detail. You can look it over and let me know if you have any questions before the first treatment," Dr. Lynn said as she pulled a sheet of paper out from her desk drawer and handed it to Jess.

"You should also know that the first treatment might take longer than the rest, but in general each treatment will take several hours and you will need someone to bring you home after each session," Dr. Lynn said gently.

"That won't be an issue," Nick spoke, his voice slightly rough from worry.

"What are the side effects? I mean, am I going to lose my hair?" Jess said, her voice quivering.

"Well, there are a few side effects that you should be aware of. As the lymphatic system is the part of the body's immune system you are already at high risk for infection and the chemotherapy would increase your risk, so you will need to be careful to wash your hands regularly and keep your exposure to germs to a minimum. It says in your file you are a school teacher?" Dr. Lynn asked.

"Yes, is that an issue?" Jess said confused.

"Well, I would recommend you take a leave of absence. You would be at high risk for your immune system to be compromised when it is at it's most vulnerable and with so many young children and with flu season coming soon, you should limit your exposure."

A few tears ran down Jess' face. _This was the worst_, she thought, _cancer is taking away my job now too. What am I going to do? _

Dr. Lynn continued. "There is also a risk of anemia and the drugs might cause a reduced ability for your blood to clot. Often, many patients experience nausea, fatigue, mouth sores, and yes, to answer your earlier question, hair loss is a likely possiblilty. But I do want to stress, that your hair will return after you complete all of your treatment sessions, so I would try not to worry about that too much."

"Right… sure. And then the radiation will follow the chemotherapy?" Jess asked.

"First, we will see how you begin to respond with the chemotherapy, but if everything goes as planned then yes,"

"Okay, so, when I do start?"

"Well, take the next few days, let it all sink in, take some time to prepare and then let's start the day after tomorrow. I can schedule you in for 10 am on Friday," Dr. Lynn said as she looked at her schedule.

"Wow, okay. This is happening. This is really, really happening," Jess said as she began to hyperventile.

"Take a deep breath, Jess," Nick said as he reached over and grabbed her hand.

Dr. Lynn looked towards them knowingly, while cancer was never a gift, she had found that it often brought people together. _It's only a matter of time before these two admit they're in love_, she thought.

"Thank you Dr. Lynn," Nick said as he rubbed Jess' back soothingly. "We'll see you on Friday morning."

Nick turned back to Jess. "Let's go for a walk Jess, get some air, okay?"

Jess nodded and let Nick help her up and put his arm around her, offering her support.

Jess stood outside the hospital, her arms crossed against her chest, and looking towards the direction of the ocean.

"Come on," Nick said as he put a hand on the small of Jess' back and led her towards the beach.

They walked slowly in silence, Nick glancing at Jess out of the corner of his eye. When they arrived at the beach, they sat down near the shore and watched as the waves came in and out with the tide.

Nick thought back to a couple of weeks ago, when they were sitting on the beach the night before his tests and he had thought that he was the one who was dying. He knew how Jess was feeling and yet he still didn't know what the right thing to say was.

"It's going to be okay, Jess," Nick said quietly after a while as he leaned towards her.

"I want to believe that Nick, I really, really, do," Jess whispered, her voice quivering with unshed tears.

"Hey, we're going to get through this, I promise. Come here," Nick put his arm around her and pulled her gently towards him, as Jess rested her head on his shoulder.

"I just don't know if I can do this, I mean, the nausea and the fatigue and all of those other horrible side effects… and what if I lose my hair? I love my hair, I mean my bangs are a crucial part of my signature style, I've had them my whole life, what if I don't know who I am without them?!" Jess said frantically as she began to panic.

"Jess, your hair will grow back, but the most important thing is that you get better first. It won't be a permanent thing, and I'm sure Cece will find some amazing head scarfs to match all of your pretty dresses, and you will still be the same person, even without the bangs, I promise," Nick said as he rubbed her back in comfort.

"Nick, I'm being serious."

"So am I. Don't put all of your energy into feeling bad about you hair. You might not even lose it anyway. You need to concentrate your energy on getting better, okay?"

After a moment, Jess nodded.

"We should go home," Jess sighed, "I'm… tired."

Nick glanced over at Jess in worry, he knew she was feeling worse than she was letting on.

"Ya, let's go home," he said as he stood and offered her his hand, watching as she stood and brushed off the sand from her coat.

When they got home, Jess called Cece and told her everything the doctor had said. Cece promised she would be at the apartment first thing in the morning to take Jess to work to hand in her leave of absence form and to say goodbye to her students. Like clockwork, Cece arrived at 8 am the next morning with coffee and croissants and a big hug for Jess, before bundling her up and driving her to the school.

"Do you want me to come in with you?" Cece asked as she came to a stop in front of the school and turned off the car.

"No, it's okay, but… could you wait for me? I won't be too long," Jess asked uncertainly.

"Of course, Jess. I'll be here, I'm not going anywhere," Cece said reassuringly.

"Thanks, Cece," Jess said sincerely.

Jess walked slowly to the school, and took a deep breath before opening the door. _This might be the last time I enter the school in a while,_ she thought, trying not to be depressed as that realization came to her.

Jess made her way down the hall and knocked on Tania's office door.

She heard footsteps before Tania opened the door.

"Jess! Finally! I am so glad you're back, that substitute is terrible, you know she actually believes that children are little angels all the time?! Ha! If only she taught them every day for a whole year, then she would learn. The other day she actually said…"

"Tania!" Jess yelled, breaking the rambling.

Tania looked up startled.

"Sorry, there's just something I need to tell you. I think that we better sit down…" Jess said as she watched the smile leave Tania's face as they sat down in her office.

"Tania, you know how much I love this school and how much I love these kids, and trust me, if I had any other choice, I would take it, but I'm sorry to have to tell you that I need to request an indefinite leave of absence."

"What?!" Tania said shocked, "is this about the incident with those girl's mothers? I mean Jess, really, you shouldn't take everything to heart so much, we resolved the issue, it's all good. You just have to make sure that you don't sabbotage anyone else's science fair project and everything will…"

"No, Tania, it's not that. I'm… sick. Really sick… and I need to have treatment and I'm really sorry that I have to leave so suddenly. I really am hoping that I will be able to come back one day and keep teaching here."

Tania looked at Jess with tears in her eyes.

"Sick?" she asked, "what kind of sick, Jess?"

"It's… cancer," Jess said quietly.

Tania gasped. "Oh Jess, I'm so sorry. Wait right here, don't move!" she said as she ran to her filing cabinet and pulled out one of the drawers before rushing back to her desk.

"You didn't get this from me, okay?" Tania whispered.

Jess nodded, confused.

Tania passed her a small bag with some pot and a pair or yellow sparkly sun shaped glasses. Jess' eyes widened as she saw the drugs.

"Tania!" Jess exclaimed.

"It's for the pain, I've heard cancer can be painful. And if you're lucky and you're not in pain, then use it to take your mind off of everything for a bit. And the sun shaped sunglasses are just for fun, they always make me feel better when I'm sad. And don't worry about your job Jess, it will be here waiting for you when you're ready to come back. Oh! and I'll arrange for a paid leave of absence, it's the least I can do," Tania said as she dabbed her eyes with a tissue.

"Thank you Tania, this is all really too much," Jess said glancing at the bag of pot before shoving in to the bottom of her purse. "But thank you, really."

Tania just stood and gave Jess a hug.

"I'd like to say goodbye to the kids. Would that be okay?"

"Of course, let's go, I'll walk you there."

Jess and Tania walked through the hallway before entering the classroom. Tears welled up in Jess' eyes and she took a deep breath before following Tania into the room.

"Miss Day! Miss Day! You're back!" the children all yelled excitedly.

Jess' heart clenched painfully with happiness and sadness all at the same time.

"Hey everybody. I've missed you guys so much, but I've come here to tell you all something. I… I'm so sorry but I'm not going to be able to finish the year here with you all, I'm taking a leave of absence."

"What? Why? Miss Day! You have to stay!" the students yelled.

"I'm sorry, I'm… sick, and I have to take some time to get better. But you will all be fine and you will have lots of fun here in the meantime. I expect you all to work hard, okay? Fill your minds with brilliance!" Jess said, trying to be as enthusiastic as possible.

Jess left the classroom, saying goodbye once more the kids, followed by another hug from Tania, before saying a silent goodbye to the school and walking out to Cece's car.

"Hey, how did it go, Jess?" Cece asked as Jess sat in the car, shutting the door behind her.

"Can you take me home, please Cece? I… I'm feeling a little overwhelmed," Jess said as tears began to fall down her cheeks.

"Of course, babe."

Cece's heart broke as she listened to Jess' sobbing all the way back to the loft and as she lay beside her in bed until Jess fell asleep from exhaustion. Cece carefully got up from the bed and tucked Jess in under the covers, before quietly leaving the room and shutting Jess' door behind her.

Cece waited until Nick got home from work before telling him what happened and promising she'd come over the next morning to take Jess to her first chemotherapy session.

The next morning Jess woke up to the sound of running water in the bathroom. She slowly rolled over onto her back and assessed how she was feeling. Achy? Check. Tired? Check. Dizzy? Check. She can't even imaging how she's going to feel after her first round of chemo today.

There was a soft knock on her door before Nick entered.

"Hey Jess, how are you feeling?"

"I'm nervous."

"Me too." Nick said anxiously, sitting down gently on the side of her bad and taking her hand.

He'd been doing that a lot lately and she wished that they had begun the hand holding before she was diagnosed with cancer. It was so nice and she had missed out on it for almost a whole year since she moved into the loft.

"Nick, will you take me to my session this morning?"

"I thought Cece was taking you?"

"Well, she was, I mean she is, but I don't think she'd be mad if you took me instead and… well… I would really like it if you could, but I mean, if you're too busy, or you don't want to, that's totally fine too, whatever is best for you, I don't want to…"

"Jess, stop rambing, of course I'll take you, whatever you want."

Jess sighed, relieved.

"Thanks, Nick," she said as she squeezed his hand.

Jess slowly got up and got dressed when she heard a knock on her door.

"Hey Jess, I'm here to take you to the hospital," Cece said through the door.

Jess opened the door and stood awkwardly in front of Cece.

"Oh, um… Cece, you have truly been amazing, you are the bestest friend a girl could ever ask for, I really appreciate you being here for me, not just now since my… diagnosis, but for our whole lives, but… I asked Nick if he could take me today and… I know that you wanted to take me but… I just..."

"Oh, okay sweetie. That's okay, I get it and I know Nick will take really good care of you. I'll be here when you guys get back, I'll whip you up something special, okay?"

"I might not be hungry…"

"That's okay, I'll make something just in case, we can always save it and have it later."

"Thank you Cece, you're the best," Jess said as she gave Cece a bone crushing hug.

* * *

A/N:

Whoo! Chapter 9 complete. Jess' first chemo and lots of Nick/Jess to come in the next chapter.

Please read and review everyone!

- ohskylark


	10. Today's The Day

**Chapter 10 – Today's The Day**

**Disclaimer:** I love New Girl but I don't own it.

**A/N:** Hey everyone! Thank you so much to all who read and reviewed I know it's been a while since the last update and I'm truly sorry for the wait, but please know that I am so very greatful for every review, follow, and favorite! Please keep them coming!

* * *

Jess grabbed her purse and walked into the living room, Cece following behind her.

The guys were all sitting on the couch in the living room waiting.

"Well, today's the day…" Jess spoke with what she hoped was optimism in her voice.

Schmidt stood up and gave Jess a huge hug.

"I have something for you Jess."

"What? Schmidt, you didn't have to get me anything."

"It's just a little care package, no big deal, I just thought you might get cold at the hospital, so I packed a blanket and a pair of warm socks," he said as he handed her a bag with what looked like a really warm and soft pastel blue blanket. "There are a few magazines and a portable DVD player with a few of your favourite DVD's to take your mind off of everything. There's Dirty Dancing and Curly Sue, and Matilda. Oh! And I've done a little research about what you might need for after the treatment, so I'll have that all ready for you when you get back."

"Oh my gosh, Schmidt, thank you, this is too much…"

"No Jess, it's not enough." Schmidt said softly, squeezing her arm gently, "I wish I could do more."

Tears welled up in Jess' eyes as she hugged Schmidt again.

"You guys are the best. I'm so glad that you let me move in here a year ago, it was one of the best things that has ever happened to me."

Winston stood up, pulling Schmidt away from Jess and promptly taking his place, squeezing Jess gently in a hug.

"This is for you Jess," Winston said as he pulled back from the embrace and handed her a CD. "Just a little playlist for the car ride. Stay strong, girl. We'll all be here for you when you get back."

"Thank you Winston, that's so sweet."

Cece was next, launching into Jess' arms and squeezing her tight, as she sniffled back her tears, trying to be strong for Jess.

"You can do this, Jess. Everything is going to be fine," Cece said softly.

"I know. I'll see you in a few hours," Jess whispered back.

Jess turned to Nick, trying to read his expression before he forced a small smile.

"You ready, Nick?"

"Ya, Jess… are you?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

"Okay, let's go."

Nick grabbed the care package from Schmidt and put his hand on the small of Jess' back, leading her out of the loft.

The car ride to the hospital was mostly quiet, Winston's mix tape playing softly in the background. As they pulled into the parking lot of the hospital, "Save the Best for Last" began to play and Nick and Jess both smiled, thinking of the last time they had heard this song, right before Jess found the courage to end it with Spencer.

"We got this, Jess. Let's go fight this thing," Nick said with a small smile.

After filling out a bunch of paperwork - a seemingly regular occurance in her life now - Jess and Nick were led to a large room in one of the wards of the hospital by a nurse. Jess paused in the doorway, her eyes wide, as she looked around at the other patients hooked up to machines, many of them with head scarfs in various colours and patterns.

Just as she was about to turn and run, her flight instinct clearly kicking in more than her fight, Nick grabbed her hand and squeezed gently.

"You can do this Jess. I'm going to be with you the whole time. You're not alone."

Jess looked into Nick's eyes and could see the truth behind his words. She took a deep breath and let Nick lead her to the empty chair where the nurse was waiting.

The nurse settled Jess into the chair, hooking her up with the R-CHOP infusion. Nick focused on Jess' eyes rather than the needle that was now in her arm. He was starting to get used to needles now - he was certainly not reacting as violently as the first day in that clinic - but he still didn't want to look if he didn't have to.

"Okay, Jessica, the drug cocktail is going to feel a bit cold when it firsts enters your bloodstream. This is normal and you'll adjust after a little while. You might feel nauseous, if you do, there is a call button right over here," she indicated to the side of the bed, "otherwise, I will be back to check on you in about half an hour and then hourly after that until your session is over. Do you have any questions?"

"Um… no, I don't think so," Jess said as she shook her head.

"Alright, I will be back soon," the nurse said with a gentle smile.

"Thank you," Jess replied, sighing as she shimmied further down into her chair, trying to get more comfortable.

Nick sat down next to Jess and leaned forward, reaching for her hand and lacing their fingers together.

Jess managed a weak smile at Nick before she leaned back and closed her eyes.

Nick and Jess sat in silence for a few minutes, until Jess' eyes popped open and she quietly gasped.

"What is, Jess? Are you okay?" Nick asked frantically, ready to grab the nurse and drag her back to Jess' side.

Tears started to fall down Jess' face.

"I can feel it," she whispered her voice wavering.

Nick squeezed her hand, wishing he could do something to help.

"It's cold," she said as she started shivering.

Nick immediately reached for the blanket in the care package, silently vowing to thank Schmidt profusely for thinking ahead, as he tucked the light blue blanket around Jess, careful not to knock her infusion site.

"Here, this will help keep you warm," Nick said as he tucked the blanket around her. He sat back down, and gently wiped the tears off her cheek with his thumbs.

"Talk to me, Nick. Tell me something, anything, please," Jess pleaded trying to ignore the drugs that were currently being pumped into her system.

"Okay, um… have I ever told you about the time when my Dad bought me a goldfish? Prepare yourself, this is kind of a long story…"

Jess closed her eyes, focusing on Nick's voice and squeezing his hand.

After the initial shock, Jess' treatment went smoothly, the hours passing with relative ease as Nick told Jess funny and embarrasing stories from his childhood. Best of all, Jess didn't feel any more nauseous than normal, which she was profoundly grateful for.

"Maybe I won't get any of the side effects, Nick," she said in a hopeful tone four hours later after the nurse had stopped the chemo treatment and she sat, sipping on orange juice. "I mean, maybe I'll be one of the lucky ones and not get sick or lose my hair."

"Maybe," said Nick encouragingly, even though he knew that would likely not be the case. Jess' already pale face had changed at least three shades whiter since her treatment began. Nick felt so helpless. He wished he had someone to fight or someone to yell at, so he could fix this, but he couldn't fight her cancer, or make it go away by yelling at it or punching it. He'd never felt so helpless in his whole life.

Nick helped Jess out to the car and back into the loft once the treatment was over. When they entered the loft, Cece, Schmidt, and Winston welcomed them with macaroni and cheese, chocolate chip ice cream, apple pie, and red velvet cupcakes. Jess' tired eyes lit up in gratitude as she hugged her friends tightly before Nick lead her over to the couch and covered her snugly with a blanket. She thanked everyone for their culinary delights but apologetically refused as she didn't feel she could stomach the rich and decadent foods, but promised she would have some later.

The gang was careful not to mention the chemo too much, trying to keep Jess' spirits up. Schmidt fussed over her, bringing her ginger tea to settle her stomach, and peppermint oil to rub on her temples to help her with her headache, while Jess blushed over all the attention.

Jess leaned into Nick beside her on the couch and listened to her friends talk casually. It was nice, she almost felt like it was a normal night. Nick noticed that Jess was beginning to fall asleep and shifted slightly so her head was leaning on his shoulder. After Jess fell asleep on the couch, Nick carried her to her room and let Cece change her into her pajamas.

Cece came back out to the living room, shutting Jess' door softly behind her. They all sat on the couch quietly discussing Jess' first treatment.

"How was it, Nick? Was she okay?" Cece asked worriedly.

"She was surprised at first, it was cold. Speaking of which, Schmidt, thank you so much man, I really appreciate the care package you put together for her. I feel terrible that I didn't think of it myself," Nick said gratelful but slightly ashamed.

"Nick, man, don't beat yourself up. You're doing a great job taking care of Jess, and that's what bros are for. We've got your back," Schmidt said with a smile and for once, Nick didn't lecture him on the term 'bros.'

* * *

It was dark when Nick woke up to the sound of soft sobs in the bathroom. It took him a moment to figure out what was going on, his brain still clouded with sleep.

When he realized what was happening, he leapt out of bed.

"Jess?!"

He found her weakly leaning on the toilet, her hair matted on her face with sweat and tears streaming down her face. The smell of vomit filled his nose, and he winced.

"Oh Jess" he said sympathetically. He grabbed a washcloth and ran it under cool water, squeezing the excess liquid out. Sitting down onto the floor next to her, he leaned her back against his chest and placed it on her forehead, one arm around her waist. _She has a fever_, he thought as her body radiated heat, her pyjamas clinging to her thin form.

"I can't do this, Nick. I just can't, this is horrible. I just want to die already" Jess pleaded.

Nick's grip on Jess tightened. "No! Don't ever say that Jess, you're going to be fine. This just means that your body is responding to the treatment Jess, you just need to give it some time."

"It _hurts_," she whimpered, tears cascading down her cheeks.

"I know, shhh, I know, it's going to be okay," Nick tried to comfort her as he wiped the cloth over her forehead and neck, trying to cool her down and, hoping he was saying the right thing.

Jess leaned forward suddenly, startling Nick, before she started throwing up again. Nick moved towards her and pulled her hair back, supporting her body weight.

"Nick?" Schmidt was in the doorway, looking at the situation with concern on his face.

"Can I do something to help?" he asked.

"Can you grab Jess a glass of cold water? I need to try to settle her stomach."

"Yeah, sure, I'm on it."

Jess collapsed against Nick again and he wiped her face with the washcloth.

"Let's get you up, Jess, Schmidt's gone to get you some water but I need to get you back into bed."

"No, no, please, _please_, don't move, I can't move right now," she cried fighting wave after wave of nausea.

"Okay, alright, it's okay, just breathe, it's okay, we won't move." He stroked her hair back, and gently wiped the cool cloth against her forehead, trying to calm her down.

Schmidt came back with the water.

"Hey Jess. I brought some water for you," He handed the glass to Nick and watched as he tried to coerse her to drinking a sip.

"Mmmph, I can't Nick," Jess complained, weakly trying to push the glass away.

"You have to Jess, you need to stay hydrated," Nick pleaded with her, not knowing what he would do if she wouldn't drink.

She finally took a few small sips, Nick tipping the glass up gently, making sure she didn't spill. Her eyes closed against the dizziness that was overpowering her.

"Good job, Jess, you did really good," Nick said reassuringly while rubbing her arm in comfort.

Jess' eyes stayed closed and she sighed, snuggling up towards Nick. After a few minutes, he realized she was beginning to fall sleep. Nick held her close, stroking her hair, letting her drift a little before he lifted her in his arms and walked back to her bed with her.

He laid her down and tucked her in. Schmidt came into the room with a bucket and set it down next to the bed.

"Thanks, Schmidt," Nick said.

Nick stood beside the empty side of the bed, contemplating his next move and wondering whether Jess would be upset if he stayed the night in her bed.

"You sleeping in here tonight?" Schmidt asked knowingly.

Nick proceeded to climb into bed next to Jess, answering his question.

"Thanks for your help, Schmidt, I'll see you in the morning."

"Anytime, bro. Goodnight."

Nick gently moved towards Jess in the bed, trying not to jostle her too much. He wrapped he arm around her and pulled her close, her soft hair tickling his nose.

* * *

**A/N: Chapter 10 complete. Please read and review!**

**- ohskylark**


	11. Hos Before Bros

**Chapter 11 – Hos Before Bros**

* * *

******Disclaimer:** I adore New Girl but sadly, it is not mine.

**A/N: **Firstly, a HUGE thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed and favourited. It always makes my day when I receive new reviews and notifications, so thank you!

Secondly, I sincerely apologize for the immense delay in getting this chapter out. I won't bore you with the details, but there have been many changes in my life over the past few months and it's just starting to get back to normal. I'm hoping that it will continue to settle down and I can get back to focusing on this story.

Thirdly, I want you all to know that it is my intention to complete this story and follow it to the end. I have lots of plans and have written some small segments of what's to come for Nick and Jess and the gang in this story, so my next task is to link them all together into properly formed chapters.

Oh! Also, I thought I would add to the discussion of how freaking amazing the last few episodes surrounding the Nick and Jess story line. I mean, the last 30 seconds of "Virgins" had me absolutely squealing in excitement. I can't wait until Tuesday!

Okay, that's my little rant. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for sticking with this story. _Please read and review!_

* * *

When Jess woke the next morning, she felt warm and safe. Her eyes fluttered open and she realized she wasn't alone in bed. She tensed up, confused. _What is happening? _

Nick was drifting into consciousness and suddenly felt Jess tense up in his arms. His eyes snapped open.

"Jess? Are you okay?"

She relaxed at the sound of his voice.

"Nick?" she croaked, her voice scratchy from being sick during the night as she rolled over slowly in his arms to face him.

"Sorry, Jess, I was worried about you last night, so I ended up staying here…" He brushed her hair back from her face and stroked her hair. "Is that okay?" he asked, hesitantly.

Jess looked up into his eyes startled by the level on intimacy he was displaying right now.

"Yes, oh god Nick, I'm so sorry for last night" she moaned, putting her hand up to cover her face as memories of throwing up with Nick beside her flashed in her mind.

He gently pulled her hand down from her face. "Don't apologize, Jess, ever. I want to be here for you, I want to help you."

"_Why_? Why would you want to deal with this?" Jess asked in disbelief.

Nick hesitated. This was it. This was the moment he needed to admit his feelings to her.

"Because… because Jess, I need to help you get better, you _need_ to get better because… I need you Jess, I… I like you."

Jess squinted in confusion. "You… like me?"

Nick sighed. _It's now or never_, _man up Miller!_ he thought.

"I… more than like you. I… okay, please don't freak out… I… kinda… look the thing is… oh damn it all to hell, the thing is, I… I love you, Jessica."

Jess' eyes widened.

"You… love me? Even now, when I look terrible and my future only holds lots of sleeping and throwing up?" Jess asked in disbelief.

"Jess, if I'm being really honest, I've loved you the moment you walked into this loft a year ago. I mean, you had me singing _Time of My Life _a week after I met you, and let's face it, I don't sing for… well, anybody."

A small smile started appearing on Jess' face as she processed what Nick was admitting to her.

"You came into my life with your big blue eyes and your quirky ways and all your pretty dresses and... look, I guess what I'm trying to say is… I care about you. A lot. And I'm going to do everything I can to help you through this."

"I… I love you too, Nick. I've loved you for a long time now. I just… I really thought that you wouldn't be able to see me the same way any more now that I'm… sick," Jess said quietly.

"That's not the case at all, Jess," Nick said and Jess could see the honesty in his eyes.

"I want to kiss you right now, but I really think I should go brush my teeth first," Jess cringed, knowing her breath would smell absolutely terrible from last night's unfortunate side effects from the chemo.

"It's okay, Jess, we don't have to rush into anything, I don't want you to feel pressured in any way, I just want you to know that I'm not going anywhere. But you need to fight this Jess, you have to, because I won't survive losing you, I just can't."

A tear slipped down Jess' cheek and she laughed softly as she quickly wiped it away.

"Does this mean you're my boyfriend, Nicholas?" she asked teasingly.

"Well, that depends on whether or not you'll have me, Jessica."

"Hmm… well, let me think about this for a minute…" Jess teased, pretending to be seriously contemplating the decision.

Nick frowed and blinked in surprise, "Seriously, Jess?"

Jess laughed, "Of course not, you crazy clown, I don't need to think about it. Yes, yes, yes, I will be your girlfriend, Nick!"

Nick rolled his eyes, a big smile lighting up his face as kissed her forehead.

"So when did you decide that you were okay with labelling things?" Jess asked curiously.

"What can I say, Jess, I guess you've changed my ways," Nick laughed.

"Hmm… I wonder if I can get you to stop panic moonwalking too?"

"I don't know, Jess, I've been doing that since I was a kid, I think I might be too far gone to change that,"

"We'll see," she said, confidently.

"You feel up to eating something?"

"Maybe. I think I should get up first and see how I feel."

Nick stood up and walked to the other side of the bed. He helped Jess sit up slowly.

"How does that feel?" he asked as he rubbed her arm comfortingly.

"Not too bad, I think I can try to stand up," Jess said and she swung her legs over the side of the bed before she hesitated.

"You'll catch me, right? If I fall…" she muttered as she blushed and looked down in embarrasment.

"Of course, Jess, c'mon up you go," he said as he pulled her up and wrapped her in his arms. She steadied herself in his embrace before stepping back.

"Okay, I'm not too dizzy and the nausea seems to have subsided a bit. Let's go to the kitchen and maybe I'll start with some toast? I should probably at least try to eat something."

"Sounds good, Jess," he said as he put his hand protectively on her lower back and began leading her to the door.

Suddenly Jess gasped and turned around, stopping Nick in his tracks.

"Wait! Are we… are we telling everyone that we're together, now? I mean, won't they think it's kind of sudden? What if they don't approve? Oh my gosh, what is Schmidt going to say? He's probably going to _freak out_ and lecture us about ruined loft dynamics! Ugh, what are we going to do?" Jess said frantically, continuing her rant before Nick could respond.

"Nick, maybe you should go out first and then I can come out in about 5 minutes and then that way they won't realize that you slept in here tonight and…"

"Woah, Jess, slow down. It's okay. Everyone knows."

Jess blinked once. Then twice.

"Everyone knows… what?" Jess asked in confusion.

"That I'm in love with you. Cece kind of forced an admission out of me the other day at the hospital," Nick said sheepishly.

"Oh Nick, I'm so sorry, she's been on me to get me to admit that I love you for ages, I had no idea that she was doing it to you too!"

"It's okay, Jess. But don't worry, it's not a problem, they'll probably all be relieved to know that it's all out in the open now. C'mon." He laced their fingers together and they walked slowly to the kitchen, hand in hand.

"Well, well, well," Schmidt said as he caught a glimspe of them, holding hands, "I see that we're all on the same page now," he said relieved.

"Thank god!" Cece said as she squealed with excitement. "It took you guys long enough."

"We're all really happy for you guys," said Winston, "but don't think I won't kick you on your ass if you hurt her Nick," he said as he poured a cup of coffee.

"Me too," said Cece, "you know what I said before about the crazy murdering thing, don't think I won't do it," Cece said warningly.

"Me three," said Schmidt, "you're my bro Nick, but in this case, ho comes before bro,"

"Jar!" they all yelled.

* * *

**A/N:** Once again, I'm so sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. I'm currently working on the next chapter and I'm excited about it so far, so please keep reading and reviewing and I'll get that chapter out as soon as I can!

- ohskylark


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